When Vancouver firm HCMA Architecture + Design started designing the Grandview Heights Aquatic Centre in 2011, the site was practically rural, with acreage-lot homes dotting pasture lands in every direction. Today, the surrounding landscape is rich with housing subdivisions under construction, racing to meet growing demands.
?Surrey is an incredibly interesting context to design public buildings. The scale and diversity of the city?and the fact that it is growing at a very rapid pace?presents a unique challenge to create public buildings that provide stability and civic focus,? says HCMA principal Darryl Condon, FRAIC.
The sweeping profile of the new aquatic centre creates a strong presence along 24 Avenue in Surrey, B.C. Photo by Nic Lehoux Responding to the City?s ambitious brief, HCMA created a landmark?an aquatic centre with a roofline reminiscent of a wave in motion?designed to anchor a much larger collection of future civic buildings and amenities on the site. The sculptural form of the roof is counterbalanced by strong concrete buttresses, creating an effect that is both elegant and playful.
Programmatically, the centre is equally robust, deftly balancing the requirements of both recreational and competition-level users. A large-scale leisure pool?featuring a waterslide, lazy river and extensive water-play areas?appeals to families, while a 10-lane, 50-metre Olympic-sized lap pool and dive platforms meet the needs of athletes and club swimmers. This second pool is bu...