Three new Metro Vancouver facilities win International Olympic Committee design awards

Aerial view of Concord Community Park at Northeast False Creek. (Concord Pacific)

The 2021 recipients of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) top honours for excellence in sports and leisure architecture include three recently constructed facilities in Metro Vancouver.

The high-profile global biennial awards are a partnership between the IOC, the International Paralympic Committee, and the International Association for Sports and Leisure Facilities.

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PWL Partnership Landscape Architects is one of seven projects around the world to win the Silver Award for its work in designing Concord Pacific’s Community Pop-Up Park in Northeast False Creek. In September 2018, the developer completed the $3.5 million temporary waterfront park on a 3.5-acre surface parking space near the southwest corner of the intersection of Quebec Street and Pacific Boulevard.

It includes open lawn spaces, a sandy beach area with volleyball nets, seating logs, picnic and ping pong tables, half basketball court, ball hockey rink, and landscaping. In Summer 2022, the park will be part of the event footprint for the FIA Formula E held in the area, with interim changes expected to be made to the park’s design to accommodate the race.

The privately funded and operated park will remain in place at the location as a placeholder public space until construction on the permanent public park on the same footprint gets underway as part of the broader area’s complete redevelopment.

Concord Community Park Northeast False Creek Vancouver

Preview of Concord Community Park at Northeast False Creek. (Kenneth Chan / Daily Hive)

The other two projects in the region that won accolades are by local architectural firm HCMA.

The City of Surrey’s Clayton Community Centre, opened in October 2021, is the largest Passive House green building in Canada to date, and the largest building of its kind in North America.

Designed by HCMA, the $43.5 million, 75,000 sq ft community centre includes a new additional civic public library branch, fitness gym, gymnasium, 200-person performing arts studio, music studios, visual arts and woodworking studios, a community test kitchen, pre-school space, and outdoor recreational and play areas.

“I can’t wait to see how the community makes Clayton Community Centre their own,” said HCMA lead architect Melissa Higgs.

“It was designed as the first community centre to be Passive House in North America and – equally important – we see it’s fast becoming a place where people from all walks of life feel welcome. The City of Surrey’s courageous vision for this project will leave a lasting legacy for generations to come.”

Clayton Community Centre in Surrey (HCMA/Andrew Doran Photography)

Clayton Community Centre in Surrey (City of Surrey)

HCMA’s design for the City of Richmond’s Minoru Centre for Active Living received the 2021 prize for accessibility. The $80 million, 110,000 sq ft complex includes two 25-metre lane swimming pools, a leisure pool, a cold plunge pool, 8,500 sq ft fitness gym, and various other community and recreational facilities that replace the adjacent, now-closed Minoru Place Activity Centre.

The new Minoru Centre opened in September 2020 after lengthy delays arising from the need to provide the facility with a major fix due to construction issues.

This year’s awards also highlighted an imagined gateway concept for Granville Street in downtown Vancouver, designed by Narita Reyes Ico for the students and young professionals award category.

minoru centre for active living richmond

Minoru Centre for Active Living at Minoru Park in Richmond. (HCMA)

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