The Chesterfield Ice Rink/The Ice Box

With the client also operating one smaller training ice rink—and other nearby ice facilities being private, outdated, or strictly seasonal—JLG worked closely with a private developer in Richmond, VA, to design a new 81,000 SF arena: the city’s first full-size, two-sheet facility in nearly 30 years. During early planning for The Ice Box, JLG was tasked with delivering a design that would be flexible and adaptable to nearly any site, providing structural capacity, refrigeration, and access points to accommodate a future second ice sheet. After securing a commercial space in an industrial park, JLG leveraged the site with a contemporary façade that complements neighboring buildings, featuring durable precast concrete wall panels with a unique, colorful pattern and a reserved use of glass and steel. Inside, the arena will offer simple and efficient operations, including sustainable ice plant systems that lower operational costs and address the region’s high humidity. Streamlined locker room layouts are planned for both public ice rentals and tenant junior hockey teams. Central to the arena will be a large, active lobby designed as a revenue-generating space with food and beverage sales and a pro shop. Once completed in the summer of 2026, The Ice Box will support competitive junior hockey, youth program growth, rink expansion, and regional tournament play—generating client revenue while bolstering the community’s economic vitality.