Stoney Creek Community Centre, YMCA and Library

London, Ont.
Construction Cost: $24.1 million (Canadian
Area / Square Feet: 74,500
Occupancy Date: October 2010

The Stoney Creek Community Centre, YMCA and Library represents the collective vision of three partners — the YMCA of Western Ontario, the London Library and the City of London. A common community room welcomes all visitors and ensures that each civic partner is represented equally. Located at the entry point, this central community room serves to organize the program and acts as a landmark space.

Attention to spatial connection results in a building that provides engaging recreational and cultural experiences within an economical footprint. Designers worked with the three partners to create a common interior theme applicable to all areas; thus, interiors are simply detailed and durable, and showcase natural materials including hardwood planks and wood veneer ceiling systems. Natural light graces every building space, and the central location of the pool ensures a brightly lit interior space from the borrowed exterior lighting and strategic exterior glazing. The combination of these natural light sources, along with the glow of the suspended light-tube fixtures, creates a comforting, glare-free space.

At the west facade, innovative use of darker glazing along the saw-tooth wall enables fitness users to enjoy the sunset from the west with clear views to the south. From the exterior, this saw-tooth element is one of a series of distinctive architectural components, along with a sloping green roof, that lends a visual hierarchy to the civic face. This is complemented by the use of natural materials such as stone and manganese iron spot masonry.