The CA$370m (US$281m, £181m, €248m) Vidéotron Centre in Quebec City, Canada, has opened to the public after a three-year construction project.

The 18,259-capacity indoor arena will become the primary venue for indoor events in the region and plans are also advancing for the centre to host a National Hockey League (NHL) franchise by the start of the 2017-18 hockey season.

Designed by architects Populous and ABCP Architecture, the arena will be operated by Canadian media company Quebecor and is owned by Ville de Quebec (Quebec City Government).

The arena is located adjacent to Quebec's ExpoCite – the city’s 4million sq ft entertainment district that hosts trade shows, events and business gatherings.

Designed for “maximum flexibility”, the arena will allow for a multitude of sport, concert and show configurations – ranging from 3,700 for an intimate theatre experience to nearly 20,000 for a center stage concert.

It will also be home to Quebec City's junior hockey team, Les Remparts.

Two open bar spaces, which are accessible to all spectators, and an array of premium spaces are also incorporated. Dynamic club seating options, private suites, loge seats and a unique bunker suite offer spectators high-end amenities and seating areas.

Populous principal Kurt Amundsen said: “We were challenged to capture Quebec City’s culture in the design of Videotron Centre, while addressing the need for a multi-functional venue within the city that could be designed to NHL standards while still effectively accommodating an array of events.”

Quebecor CEO Pierre Dion said bringing an NHL team to the city is one of the main reasons for the building of the venue.

“Quebecor has consistently stated that its objective is to establish an NHL franchise in Quebec City and it intends to make every effort to achieve that goal,” Dion said.

“We know in the province of Quebec, hockey is a religion. We are all, as individuals, hockey maniacs.”

Quebecor launched its bid to host an NHL franchise earlier this year, after meeting all pre-conditions set by the league.

The NHL has an existing relationship with Quebecor through its French-language television-rights deal.

• Quebec City has not had an NHL franchise since the Quebec Nordiques left for Denver, US and became the Colorado Avalanche in 1995. The NHL has not expanded since adding its 29th and 30th teams, the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild, in 2000.

It looks likely that the NHL will add two teams for the 2017-18 season – one in Quebec and another in Las Vegas, Nevada, US.

Quebec Arena takes shape but NHL franchise still sought