Grandview Heights Aquatic Centre
Structural Designer
Fast + Epp
Client Name
The City of Surrey
Location
Surrey, Canada
ARCHITECT:
HCMA Architecture + Design
GENERAL CONTRACTOR:
EllisDon
MECHANICAL ENGINEER:
AME Consulting Group
ELECTRICAL ENGINEER:
AES Engineering
CIVIL ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS
Binnie
ACOUSTIC CONSULTANT
Daniel Lyzun & Associates
LANDSCAPE
PFS Studio
Images: © Alison Faulkner and Mathias Fast Photography
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Grandview Heights Aquatic Centre was constructed to meet the needs of a diverse population in one of Canada’s fastest growing cities. The Centre has already surpassed anticipated visitor numbers.
The roof is a unique and slender double, long-span timber catenary over the Olympic-sized pool, suspended between post-tensioned concrete buttresses. The engineers chose wood as a cost-effective, structurally-efficient and aesthetically-pleasing alternative to steel, cleverly balancing form and function.
Judge's comment:
The judges were struck by the undulating roof which elegantly balances structural form with building use and celebrates the expressed materials. The adoption of timber in catenary permitted a structural depth of just 300mm for a 55m span. It defies convention and demanded design excellence in the tuning of the geometry and development of bespoke details to ensure that this high quality of construction could be delivered economically for the public client.