təməsew̓t·ʷ 水上和社区中心丨加拿大丨hcma 建筑与设计

Architects:hcma architecture + design

Area:10684m²

Year:2024

Photographs:Nic Lehoux

Principal In Charge:Paul Fast (Architect AIBC, MRAIC)

Consulting Partner:Darryl Condon (Architect AIBC, AAA, SAA, OAA, FRAIC, LEED® AP)

Project Architect:Alexandra Kenyon (Architect AIBC, MArch, BDes)

Senior Architect:Ian McLean (Architect AIBC, LEED AP)

Architect Registered In Ireland:Maeve Counihan (Architect MRIAI, LEED GA, March, BScArch)

Technical Director:Rob Wilson (Dip Arch Tech, BSc)

Architect:Michael Dimock

Intern Architects:Elena Bushell, Katherine Mathers

Architectural Technologist:Nicole Laguit

Senior Director Of Sustainability:Rebecca Holt

Building Performance Advisor:Zina Berrada

Sustainability Coordinator:Natalia Mulekova

Senior Director Of Social Impact:Marni Robinson

Inclusive Design Advisor:Fiona Jones

Wayfinding And Signage Designer:Alice Rooney

Wayfinding And Signage Technologist:Maianne Capellan

Production Lead:Judy Bau

Cost Consultant:Ross Templeton

Public Art:James Harry

Structural Consultants:Fast+Epp

Mechanical Consultants:AME

Electrical Consultants:AES Engineering Ltd.

Landscape Consultants:PFS Studio

Civil Consultants:Aplin & Martin

Acoustic Consultants:RWDI

Wayfinding And Signage:HCMA

Project Managers:Turnbull Construction

Contractors:Heatherbrae Builders

City:New Westminster

Country:Canada

Text description provided by the architects. təməsew̓txʷ (derived from the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language and meaning “Sea Otter House”) Aquatic and Community Centre has opened in New Westminster, British Columbia. Woven into the landscape with a dramatic unifying roof, the City’s largest capital project to date aims to be the heart and soul of the community and a place for all to connect. The building aims to make a strong, civic statement while being sensitive to the natural environment and human-scale experience. Designed by hcma architecture + design, təməsew̓txʷ has been designed for all ages and abilities, and for how communities engage in recreation today and into the future, with a greater focus on community connections and wellness-based activities, alongside more traditional sporting and fitness pursuits. The center’s design was recognized with a World Architecture Festival award for Civic Facilities (Future Projects) in 2019.

The CDN $114 million, 10,684 sq m / 114,571 sq ft combined aquatic and community center is Canada’s first completed all-electric facility to achieve the Canada Green Building Council’s (CAGBC) Zero Carbon Building-Design Standard, a significant transition for a building typology that has traditionally been one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gas emissions for many local governments. təməsew̓txʷ is also the first to use the gravity-fed InBlue filtration system, which reduces the need for chlorine usage and the creation of associated harmful byproducts, resulting in improved air and water quality.

Reclaiming the natural landscape: site considerations -The təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre is situated on the edge of a residential neighborhood north of the Fraser River, which has been a cultural and economic life source for Indigenous peoples for thousands of years. Located on the site of the former headwaters of Glenbrook Ravine, which was lost to development over the preceding decades, the project takes a strong stance toward reconciliation with the natural character of the landscape.

Prioritizing an east-to-west cardinal orientation over the colonial urban grid, the building sits along the natural topographic line of the former ravine, counter to the residential streets that surround it. The headwaters to the north have been reconnected with the remaining branch of the ravine to the south, establishing a major public green space and rain garden directly adjacent to the South Plaza of the facility. Additional significant physical constraints influenced the design approach: the Canada Games Pool and Centennial Community Centre, the two 50+-year-old buildings that təməsew̓txʷ replaces, were on site and had to remain operational throughout construction. A major regional sanitary line also runs through the site, which could not be built upon.

The exterior: a singular form - Running the length of a city block (146 meters / 479 feet,) the center succeeds in both blending into the landscape and creating an iconic civic expression. The stepped, modulated elevation achieves a human scale where the building touches the ground, anchoring it into the re-established ravine space, while the strong black roof unifies the diverse program elements into a singular form.

The site opens out to the community on four sides and two major civic plazas act as entry points, connected by the free and expansive lobby, which draws visitors in. The two plazas (900 sq m + 650 sq m / 9,680 sq ft + 7,000 sq f) have been designed for different arrival experiences: the South more ceremonial and natural, and the North more playful and urban. Located next to the gymnasia, the North Plaza encourages activity, recreation, and informal gathering. The adjacent facility walls can also be opened, allowing indoor programming to move outside. The South Plaza, situated next to the recreated ravine space, provides a sense of arrival with bridges across the rain garden and a densely vegetated landscape. A major public sculpture by Squamish Nation artist James Harry called Miyiwts (“Water’s Edge”) welcomes visitors and honors the Host Nations to whom these territories belong.

The interior: community and wellness hub - The spacious double-height lobby acts as a vibrant community heart for the building. It features a significant, local heavy timber glulam roof, with a skylight illuminating the space and drawing people in. A sculptural steel spiral stair anchors the lobby and marks connections to the east and west wings of activity space. Large glass openings, flanked by acoustic wall paneling, connect the lobby to interior program spaces, allowing activities to spill into the lobby on both levels.

In the east wing, the design embraces a broader trend in wellness focused aquatic facilities, while also offering competition-level facilities. Under a folded plate mass timber and steel girder roof, the multi-use leisure pool is suitable for all generations and combines 25m lap lanes with spray elements and a lazy river that can be used for play and rehabilitation. Leisure swimmers can reach the outdoor sun patio that overlooks the ravine space through large glass bi-folding doors.

The eight-lane, 50 metre lap pool and two diving platforms are enclosed by a sawtooth roof structure formed by a hybrid steel truss and mass timber (cross laminated timber) system. This roof form welcomes indirect natural daylight from the north, which is most conducive for athletic performance and reduces the need for artificial light. This gentler, indirect light also reduces the risk of glare for swimmers and lifeguards. The roof structure also houses the mechanical and electrical systems required for the east wing of the building.

Above the pools, the second level fitness centre nestles into the nooks and crannies between the large roof volumes, giving patrons different views onto the aquatics and outdoor spaces depending on their activity and location. The interior design material palette reflects the timeless exterior expression where matte black standing seam metal roof elements enter as acoustic wall treatment and off-white wall tile is warmed by the wooden structural elements above. With water playing a significant role in the aquatic spaces, its glossy blue and reflected light was considered a primary material in the palette.

Community engagement - Extensive public and stakeholder group engagement occurred over two years and involved over 3,000 people, including urban Indigenous, Host Nations and multicultural groups, and an accessibility committee. Community input steered many of the programmatic decisions that guided the design of the facility. A Naming Advisory Panel made up urban Indigenous and local First Nations gifted the name təməsew̓txʷ to the centre. Meaning “sea otter house” in hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓, the Down River language of local First Nations, the panel chose it because of the playfulness, joyfulness, and family-oriented nature of the sea otter, which reflects key themes that emerged during community engagement. A pronunciation guide for təməsew̓txʷ can be found here – the Indigenous Knowledge Holders involved have requested that the spelling of the centre’s name not be anglicized.

A centre for generations to come: inclusivity + sustainability -Inclusive design and physical accessibility are core aspects of the facility’s planning and detailing, evidenced by the generosity of circulation space; high contrast signage that includes braille and tactile directories; fully universal washrooms with adult change tables and lift devices; ramps and zero-entry conditions into the leisure and family hot pools; as well as a transfer ledge in the adult hot pool and moveable floor in the 50m pool. The pool change rooms offer options for all-genders as well as dedicated male and female spaces. The project will receive its Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Gold Certification in the coming weeks. In addition to achieving the CAGBC’s Zero Carbon Building – Design Standard, the project is also on track to receive LEED Gold certification. In a first for Canada, the innovative InBlue pool filtration and disinfection system is expected to have a significant impact on patron experience, as well as minimizing pump energy consumption by almost 50% and improving air and water quality.

Thinking beyond construction to operations, hcma has worked with City of New Westminster staff to develop the ”Keep It Fresh” initiative for the owner, which aims to educate swimmers about the connection between showering, water cleanliness, air quality, and energy performance. Lifeguards will be the primary ambassadors of this campaign, communicating to swimmers how the simple act of showering before entering the pools can have a significant impact on water and air quality.

Project gallery

Project location

Address:New Westminster, Canada