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FEBRUA RY 2016 | 85 Delbrook Community Recreation Centre RENDERINGS COURTESY HDR/CEI ARCHITECTURE by ROBIN BRUNET Delbrook Community Recreation Centre O n paper it may read like just another community centre: with extensive aquatic, exercise, recreation and arts space, the Delbrook Community Recreation Centre, currently under construction in North Vancouver, will replace the now-demolished William Griffin Recreation Centre and the existing Delbrook Community Recreation Centre. But Delbrook is no ordinary community amenity; its design is very much in keeping with a new attitude towards recreation centres in Canada. "When I started in this business 20-odd years ago, people regarded recreation centres as merely buildings where kids play hockey," says Mark Hentze, VP of recreation and culture at HDR/ CEI Architecture, which was retained to design the new Delbrook facility. Hentze adds, "As a result, recreation centres across Canada are sometimes somewhat uninspiring, but the new attitude is that these centres should help define a neighbourhood. Design is also important, and the best design not only makes these facilities inviting, but provides maximum access for the young, old and physically challenged." Scheduled for completion in late 2016, the $49-million, 95,000-square- foot Delbrook Community Recreation Centre will consist of a six lane, 25-metre pool (replacing a six-lane pool in the William Griffin facility) plus extensive aquatic leisure and rehabilitation components; hot pool; steam room and change rooms; multipurpose rooms; program areas for seniors, youth and preschool; a full sized gym, weight room, arts spaces, squash/racquetball courts; and a foyer for gathering and connecting. Typically, recreation facilities are resource intensive in their operation and utility usage, plus they have a large footprint. While these factors are unavoidable, creating a big box would have been inappropriate for the Delbrook site, which is nestled in the North Shore mountains and surrounded by trails and forest. It was also not what the District of North Vancouver or the North Vancouver Recreation and Culture Commission wanted. "It had been years since a new community recreation facility had been built in the region, and the consensus was that Delbrook should be special and embraced by the community," says Sid Johnson, project architect for HDR/CEI. The goal was to make 95,000 square feet of space seem as integral a part of its surroundings as possible, and one way to achieve this was through the extensive use of glazing. "The ability of outsiders to see through the main portions of the facility was important, and glazing would give people using the pool or walking along the corridor the sense that they were in the adjacent forest," says Hentze. While most of the oversize glazing would be located on the west of the building, the architects decided to break up the scale of the structure elsewhere with offset balconies, overhangs, detailing and different materials (mainly wood panelling and concrete). "The facility, as it sits on a site that is three levels higher at one end than the other, can be thought of as stacked blocks with strong horizontality," says Johnson. Opaque glass stand-offs in areas without windows lend a feeling of translucency and help diminish the mass. Close attention was paid to security and inclusivity. "The transparency aided our goal of making a public facility safe at night, and we added good lighting and avoided black corners and nooks," says Hentze. Johnson remarks, "We paid special attention to features for the elderly and disabled so that they can use this building extensively and graciously." Governing the design process was a charter developed by the architects in which 10 key objectives (such as integrating the natural landscape with the facility) were outlined. "It was a way of keeping a clear picture of what everyone wanted and where we were going," says Johnson. "And although it's normal to ensure best value for the capital investment, because our main goals were outlined in our charter, none of them were challenged." Hentze notes that the passion of the local government bodies was augmented by "very knowledgable staff. For example, their mechanical specialists played a major role in telling us what would work and what wouldn't within the limitations of the budget." Niko De Marre, project manager for Stuart Olson, is equally impressed by the project team. "North Vancouver has a very active facilities team, plus, knowledgeable, specialized consultants such as swimming pool experts who were retained to ensure there were no nasty surprises between the design and the final outcome," he says, adding that this high level of organization facilitated "the challenging process of melding structural and architectural elements during construction." Given the location of the new facility, Stuart Olson and other contractors abided by strict environmental standards when the William Griffin Recreation Centre was demolished and below- gr ade concrete work commenced in early 2014. "One main task was to avoid any runoff into a nearby stream, so we built trenches and a pond system, and ultimately all runoff is collected in two big tanks where the particulates settle and the water is treated before being discharged into the stream," says De Marre. Work crews also abided by noise regulations, and two-wheel washes were installed to prevent debris from being tracked outside of the construction zone. In addition, the building is being outfitted with heat recovery mechanical systems, a high-efficiency building envelope – including triple-glazed glass units for the exterior windows of the pool – and stormwater control, expressed in a series of terraced rain gardens along the west side of the landscaped area, west of the main entry plaza. As work progresses towards a late 2016 opening, Hentze, who lives in North Vancouver, is enjoying the mounting excitement of locals having access to a new community recreation centre. "Kids run up to me asking when the building will be ready," he says. "I can't think of a more satisfying compliment." A LOCATION 851 West Queens Road, North Vancouver, B.C. OWNER/DEVELOPER District of North Vancouver ARCHITECT HDR/CEI Architecture Associates Inc. GENERAL CONTRACTOR Stuart Olson STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd. MECHANICAL CONSULTANT MMM Group Limited ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Acumen Engineering TOTAL SIZE 95,000 square feet plus 54,000 square feet (one level of underground parking) TOTAL COST $49 million 9:17 AM

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