A New Community Recreation Centre, Library, Senior Centre and EarlyON

This Community Recreation Centre was developed in alignment with the City’s Recreation Master. The program is comprehensive and tailored to the diverse needs of the community. The facility includes a full aquatic complex featuring a hot pool with beach entry, an amusement device, and an eight-lane lap pool along with a class A double gymnasium and an elevated indoor running/walking track. Supporting spaces include multipurpose rooms, universal change areas, family and accessible washrooms, viewing areas, and storage. The design also incorporates a public library, dedicated Seniors Centre with its own entrance and a fully programmed EarlyON Centre for families and early childhood services.

Sustainability is central to the design. The facility is proposed as a net-zero carbon building, with a clear upgrade path to net-zero energy by 2025, reflecting the community’s commitment to environmental stewardship and resilient civic infrastructure.

The buildings’ compact rectangular footprint maximizes visibility, walkability, and future transit connections. Conceived as a building with “four fronts,” it activates all sides through glazing, play areas, and pedestrian-friendly edges, while parking is placed at the rear to maintain a strong civic presence along the major street.

Inside, the recreation centre and library is organized around a vibrant community active zone at reception. A wide central corridor links the main entrance to the EarlyON Centre and provides direct access to the gym and natatorium through change rooms on both sides. The corridor doubles as a viewing space and houses the feature stair, while clerestory windows bring daylight deep into the building through floor openings. On the second floor, multipurpose rooms and the running track run along the central corridor, with short secondary corridors leading to support spaces and an elevated natatorium viewing area. Architecturally, the building is expressed as two horizontal volumes with strategic cantilevers that create prominent entrance canopies and passive shading for glazed façades.