Construction starts on Burnaby's Olympic-sized aquatic centre and rink

Construction begins on new aquatic centre with Olympic-sized pool and NHL-sized rink at Burnaby Lake (RENDERINGS)

Conceptual artistic rendering of Burnaby Lake Aquatic and Arena Facility. (HCMA/City of Burnaby)

As of late last week, CG Brown Memorial Pool within Burnaby Lake Sports Complex became a pile of rubble to accommodate the footprint of a new destination-sized recreational complex.

The municipal government set aside $187 million in its capital plan to build the new Burnaby Lake Aquatic and Arena Facility at 3676 Kensington Avenue, replacing the previous 1960s-built pool at the site — located at the northeast corner of the intersection of Kensington Avenue and Sprott Street. The old pool has been closed since October 2022 in preparation for the redevelopment.

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The complex will feature a new 50-metre, Olympic-sized swimming pool with diving platforms, designed for competition, training, and recreational uses. It will have a grandstand seating capacity for 750 spectators, including 550 in an upper seating area and 200 on-deck, with space for additional temporary spectator seating during large-scale competitions.

The aquatic centre portion of the complex will also contain a 25-metre lap pool, leisure pool, and a family-sized hot pool.

Location of Burnaby Lake Aquatic and Arena Facility. (HCMA/City of Burnaby)

Layout of Burnaby Lake Aquatic and Arena Facility. (HCMA/City of Burnaby)

cg brown memorial pool burnaby lake demolished april 2023 f

The old CG Brown Memorial Pool at Burnaby Lake was demolished in mid-April 2023. (City of Burnaby)

As the full name of the facility suggests, there will also be a new NHL-sized ice rink, complete with five change rooms and grandstand seating for 200 spectators. When complete, the complex’s new arena will replace the adjacent Burnaby Lake Arena, which will be demolished after the Edmonds neighbourhood’s new two-rink Rosemary Brown Arena opens in Fall 2023.

To the north of the old pool site, the 1998-built Bill Copeland Sports Centre, featuring a 2,000-seat NHL-sized arena, will see exterior and interior renovations to fully integrate it with the new-built facility to the south.

Other components to the facility entail reception areas, a cafe, sports hall of fame display area, indoor and outdoor social areas, public art, and vehicle parking both on the surface and underground. The facility’s indoor spaces will be accessed from a central entrance lobby and social space.

Conceptual artistic rendering of Burnaby Lake Aquatic and Arena Facility. (HCMA/City of Burnaby)

The total floor area of the entire complex will reach over 300,000 sq ft, including 238,000 sq ft for the new-build aquatic centre and replacement arena, 10,000 sq ft for the renovation of the existing Bill Copeland Sports Centre lobby, and 57,000 sq ft for the existing arena at Bill Copeland Sports Centre.

To support the building’s uses, there will be a vehicle parking supply of 560 stalls, including 81 stalls in the new underground parkade, 149 ground-level stalls on the site, and 330 stalls on the Sperling Avenue surface parking lot immediately to the east.

Burnaby Lake Aquatic and Arena Facility is designed by local architectural firm HCMA, which also designed Killarney Community Pool and Hillcrest Centre in Vancouver, Grandview Heights Aquatic Centre in Surrey, the new Minoru Centre for Active Living in Richmond, Rosemary Brown Arena, and the future New Westminster Aquatics and Community Centre.

Conceptual artistic rendering of Burnaby Lake Aquatic and Arena Facility. (HCMA/City of Burnaby)

As previously reported by Daily Hive Urbanized, this new complex has been planned for years. Prior to the municipal government’s late 2020 acquisition of the Fortius Sport & Health facility, located immediately to the west, there were plans to build a larger recreational complex. But the $26.6-million acquisition and subsequent conversion of the 146,000 sq ft former private recreational and elite athlete training centre — a 2013-built facility on a 5.2-acre lot — into the Christine Sinclair Community Centre significantly reduced the cost of the municipal-driven aquatic centre and arena project, which was later downsized in scope.

The 146,000 sq. ft. facility on the 5.16-acre property was completed in 2013 at a cost of $61 million. It included a sports medicine clinic, fitness and performance centre, human performance lab, NBA standard double gymnasium, offices, a 50-room hotel, and food service.

Burnaby Lake Aquatic and Arena Facility, adding to the major cluster of recreational facilities on the west end of Burnaby Lake, is expected to open in late 2026.

Layout of Burnaby Lake Aquatic and Arena Facility. (HCMA/City of Burnaby)

Burnaby is entering a community and recreation centre building boom, with a handful of major projects lined up through the end of this decade to accommodate current and future demand from its growing population.

Burnaby’s property tax increase starting in 2024 could be almost as high as some of its regional municipal counterparts. City staff are forecasting the need of a 7% property tax increase per year between 2024 and 2027 to account for the increased operating costs for new and expanded facilities, such as Burnaby Lake Aquatic Centre and Arena, Brentwood Community Centre, and other major projects and initiatives.

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