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FEBRUA RY 2016 | 83 Westhills YMCA/YWCA Langford Aquatic Centre PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANDREW SCHROEDER/COURTESY ON POINT PROJECT ENGINEERS LTD. Westhills YMCA/YWCA Langford Aquatic Centre by ROBIN BRUNET T he challenges of designing and constructing a new aquatic centre are many, beginning with usage. Due to huge capital outlay and operating costs, today's facilities must attract as many different types of users as possible to be financially viable. This usually translates into a complex and lavish design, with the construction stage being equally intricate and demanding. Such is the case of Westhills Land Corporation's new YMCA/YWCA Langford Aquatic Centre. Located in the Westhills community of Langford, the new $30-million building includes a lap pool, a lazy river, warm water therapy pools, a waterslide, health and fitness facilities, and a daycare. Matching the Centre's complexity are the arrangements that enabled it to see the light of day. Westhills had a vision for the facility and worked tirelessly with stakeholders in formulating a mechanism that would bring it to reality. In 2013, Langford councillors approved the aquatic centre in a three-way agreement between the city, YM-YWCA and Westhills; it was to be paid for by Westhills on land the developer owns near the City Centre Park sports complex, and YM-YWCA would lease it for 25 years at a rate linked to anticipated regional population increases. "All across Canada, we probably have the best recreational facilities for a town of this size," declared Langford mayor Stew Young when it was learned that the aquatic centre would be delivered. The building also has a number of commercial spaces, and two of these areas will be leased by Victoria Conservatory of Music and a new regional library. The new facility would be the first of many buildings within Westhills' Lakepoint mixed-use precinct; an area that serves the vibrant and growing Westhills neighbourhood and the wider Langford community. VDA Architecture Limited was retained after another architect had incorporated all the elements that were necessary to make the facility appeal to a broad demographic. "We were brought in as specialists by Westhills to determine if the design worked the way it was supposed to," says principal Kevin Klippenstein, referring to the fact that his Victoria- based company has established an international reputation for providing exceptional quality, innovation and value-driven results in the design of sports/recreation facilities. Klippenstein adds, "Initially the working arrangement seemed tricky, because the Y was a critical stakeholder for something that would be built on Westhills land, paid for by Westhills, and that the City of Langford wasn't at all involved in, but would have as a public facility. But it soon became evident that all parties were pulling together to create the best possible facility, as well as responding quickly to problems as they arose." And arise they did, starting with the location near the foot of a rock retaining wall and a site with a 10-metre rise to the east and a 15-metre rise to the south – not the ideal conditions for flat aquatic space. "It would have been impossible to blast everything level, so we stepped up the building design by creating a podium to the south, and this added a little drama to the visual appeal," says Klippenstein. "The step-up also allowed for a clear delineation of facility components: the north side contains the public elements such as aquatics, fitness centre and so forth; and the southern area, which is higher than the north, contains the youth centre, daycare, public library and leasable space." The higher elevations also provided scenic views for the upper-level offices. When asked how the revamped design compared to the initial concept, Klippenstein replies, "We stayed very true to the intent of the original, but I feel a sense of ownership to what we contributed, with many big and small decisions made that ultimately brought the facility to the building stage." The next substantial challenge arose when Verity Construction was chosen as the construction manager for the facility. Klippenstein laughs when he recalls, "They had no experience with pools, so we were concerned. But they really came through and proved to be excellent builders. They knew what questions to ask and when to ask them." Verity also brought considerable project management experience to the table, having built institutional buildings and many mid-sized commercial projects as well as having

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