Canadian studio Bing Thom Architects has completed a community swimming pool building in suburban Vancouver, with a roof made from a series of giant trusses and skylights (+ slideshow).
Encompassing 6,967 square metres, the Guildford Aquatic Centre is an addition to an existing recreational facility in Surrey ? a suburban community just outside of Vancouver.

The new building accommodates swimming, water polo and other aquatic sports and activities.
In addition to a 50-metre lap pool certified by the International Swimming Federation, the facility houses a leisure pool with a therapy area and walking lanes. It also contains a jacuzzi, a lazy river, a water slide, a sauna and a steam room.

Rectilinear in form, the building has exterior walls made of glass and multicoloured concrete ? a pairing of materials that results in a "rhythm of solid and void". Inside, the design team used a light colour palette that gives the space an airy and clean feel. "The design is conceived as a magic box, with the pixelated precast concrete exterior acting in tension with the white-pearl natatorium interior," said Bing Thom Architects, a Vancouver-based firm established in 1982.

Resting on a gently sloping site, the building is encircled by a fluid, choreographed landscape that contrasts with the building's straight lines.
Terraced gardens ? which are visible from the interior pool deck ? help with stormwater management while also serving as a natural habitat. Above the ...