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AUGUST 2017 | 65 National Soccer Development Centre – UBC PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FOOTBALL CLUB National Soccer Development Centre – UBC by ROBIN BRUNET A new field house, two grass playing fields, an artificial turf field, and relocation of an existing Varsity turf field and sports medicine centre would amount to a substantial undertaking for any university campus; but the National Soccer Development Centre (NSDC) at the University of British Columbia's Thunderbird Park is more than that: the $23.5-million project fulfills the programming needs not only of the University but also the Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club (WFC), which shares the facility. Development of the centre was important on several counts: in terms of the greater community alone, Thunderbird Park receives over 700,000 visits annually from the general public, and UBC required facilities that could accommodate future growth. As for the Whitecaps, the club required its own training headquarters, plus it was intent on raising the profile of soccer in Canada. "It's noteworthy that the spark for this project occurred six years ago when we stood in a parking lot debating the possibility of creating a temporary facility and fields," says Kavie Toor, senior director, facilities, recreation and sports, UBC Properties Trust. "Then we rethought the project as something permanent – and this led to years of remarkable collaboration." The project was officially announced in the fall of 2012 after the Whitecaps and the B.C. government committed $9-million and $14.5-million to the project respectively; construction of the playing fields was targeted to start in August 2014 with a completion date of June 2015; the Wolfson Field West was also set to commence in August, and the field house component was slated for completion by December 2016. UBC Properties Trust development manager Dave Poettcker says, "The NSDC site previously contained portables and an old sports medicine building, the latter of which would relocate to a new building. We retained an Acton Ostry Architects Inc. and BBB joint venture; the latter had considerable experience designing professional sports facilities, while Acton Ostry Architects had considerable experience on projects at UBC." While a good deal of the design duties focused on fulfilling programming requirements, the NSDC project allowed ample room for architectural expression, as evidenced by the 36,000-square-foot field house, whose bold rectangular form on the north side is bisected by an abundance of glazing and offset by an integrated spectators' podium and access ramps. "The expression is intended to reflect UBC and the Whitecaps' commitment to excellence and was informed by extensive stakeholder meetings," says Acton Ostry Architects associate principal Alex Percy. Ground level was designed for UBC offices, locker rooms and multipurpose rooms to serve the athletic precinct, while the Whitecaps would be housed in a portion of the ground level plus the two upper levels: training areas on the second level, and offices and dining (with a kitchen with individualized nutritional options for each player) on the third. Following the Whitecaps' philosophy that its players' office is the field, BBB and Acton Ostry Architects ensured that all of the club's rooms were oriented to the fields, including the two-storey weight room. For WFC, the building's orientation and planning were governed by two core relationships. Firstly, the building needed to have a direct and intimate relationship to the new training fields to the north. This promoted a longer building form that gave the primary program elements contiguity with the fields. The extensive north facing glass is intended to enhance this relationship and integrate the activities that take place both on the fields and within the building itself. The second important relationship was the primacy of the training facilities within the building itself. The training and weight room are located centrally within the building in a two- storey volume overlooking the fields. LOCATION 3055 Westbrook Mall, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. OWNER/DEVELOPER UBC Properties Trust ARCHITECTS BBB Architects Toronto Inc. / Acton Ostry Architects Inc. GENERAL CONTRACTOR Syncra Construction Corp. STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Glotman Simpson Consulting Engineers MECHANICAL CONSULTANT Stantec Consulting Ltd. ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Jarvis Engineering Consultants Ltd. FOOD SERVICE CONSULTANT Pacific Restaurant Supply TOTAL SIZE 36,000 square feet (field house) TOTAL COST $23.5 million 2:44 PM 2:38 PM 3:29 PM

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