While the official name of the facility is the Universiade Pavilion, because of its rectangular shape and bright yellow exterior, locals quickly began referring to it as the Butterdome. Today, even the University of Alberta often uses this nickname to refer to this structure.[1]
The upper sections of the regular seating are permanently mounted, while the lower sections are collapsible to increase the space available on the floor. During the University Games, the capacity was increased to 11,000 using temporary bleachers.