Home to the Winter Park and Mary Jane ski areas, the Fraser River valley is an outdoor paradise. For the valley’s residents, though, the choices for indoor recreation had long been limited and in drastic need of improvement.
The opening of Grand Park Community Recreation Center was the culmination of a citizen-driven grassroots effort to fund and operate a new center. Through fundraising efforts and cost-saving strategies, the building’s original program of 40,000 square feet grew to nearly 50,000 square feet. The base program — community rooms, a leisure pool, a fitness center, a gymnastics center, a gymnasium and a jogging track — was formulated for flexibility to maximize programming opportunities. The success of fundraising efforts added a climbing wall, a four-lane lap/competition pool and a water slide.
Internal circulation is straightforward and open, leading to the reception desk. This efficient central point of control features views to the climbing wall, the lounge with a fireplace, the main stair leading to upper-level fitness areas, and the gymnasium. Interior windows penetrate the wall between the main lobby and the natatorium, which anchors the building design. Its large gabled form, topped by a traditional clerestory, becomes a point of reference from outside or inside.
The building’s palette reflects traditional materials and forms found throughout the valley, yet offers the sustainability of today. Cementitious siding, brick masonry, high-albedo roof materials, and insulated, low-emissivity glazing all assist in mitigating the sun’s impact at such a high altitude.
City of Henderson Senior Center
