Grande Prairie Gymnastics Centre

Grande Prairie, Alb.
Construction Cost: $6.5 million (Canadian)
Area / Square Feet: 55,000
Occupancy Date: August 2009

A highly involved and motivated group of parents and volunteers were responsible for all the funding for this project. The “Gymniks” overcame a municipal funding bias toward traditional sports such as ice hockey and soccer by creating and operating three lotteries. After the Gymniks moved into the building (partial occupancy was achieved in 2005, with the construction, renovation and purchase of equipment completed in 2009), they donated the building back to the city but continue to operate all programs.

The 55,000-square-foot facility includes 26,000 square feet dedicated to gymnastics. Pedestrian traffic is directed to the second-floor viewing area immediately upon entering the building. An access route was preplanned from the gymnastics building into a future adjoining aquatics center to facilitate common programming.

Indirect lighting was used in the gymnasium, and interior colors were kept as light as was practical to maximize lighting reflectance. Windows at mezzanine levels provide daylighting in the gym. Approximately 220 seats were installed in 2009 in the viewing area to accommodate spectators, as were 100-seat pullout bleachers in the gym for athletes during competitions.

The exterior was designed to showcase two-story arched windows, which blend old-world charm with modern architecture. The facility was structurally and mechanically built to accommodate the extension of future city facilities; the new aquatic center will be attached to the north and east walls, and the front entrance will be located inside the main entrance of the new “multiplex” facility once it is completed.