The Walker Sports and Abilities Centre served as the key venue of the 2022 Canada Summer Games, a biennial multisport event that represents the highest level of national competition for Canadian athletes. The facility served as the central hub of the games and hosted a variety of events, such as beach volleyball, box lacrosse, indoor volleyball and wrestling.
The three main sports halls – a quadruple gymnasium, a 1,000-seat spectator arena and a practice arena – are arranged in a triangular fashion, taking cues from the site’s corner lotgeometry. In order to humanize the vast 160,000-square-foot building footprint, the interiors have been designed with numerous interconnections that afford views through the building and bring daylight into the inner spaces. The mezzanine of the quadruple gymnasium features a World Athletics-certified 200-meter indoor running track.
Distributed over two stories of space, the center of the plan hosts various agencies, such as the Canadian Sport Institute of Ontario (CISO) high-performance training center, the Brock-Niagara Functional Inclusive Training Centre, and the Brock University Centre for Sport Capacity, which will serve world-class athletes, Brock University varsity athletes, sports and physiological researchers, and community members.
The facility’s form and location reflect its role as a major hub for Brock University, the municipalities of Thorold and St. Catherines, and the surrounding area. As a key venue that balances and unifies community, campus and competition uses, the WSAC will increase access to sports, recreation and wellness services for the broader Niagara Region.
Architect of Record:
MJMA Architecture & Design
Toronto, Ont.
Associate Architect:
Raimondo + Associates Architects
Niagara Falls, Ont.
Manufacturers & Suppliers:
Fitness Center - Flooring, Aerobics - Robbins Sports Surfaces
Fitness Center - Flooring, Fitness Center - Johnsonite/Tarkett
Gymnasium/Field House/Arena - Arena Seating - Irwin Seating
Gymnasium/Field House/Arena - Basketball Backboards/Supports - Forum Athletic Products
Gymnasium/Field House/Arena - Bleachers/Grandstands - Irwin Seating
Gymnasium/Field House/Arena - Divider Curtains - Forum Athletic Products
Gymnasium/Field House/Arena - Floor Covers - Forum Athletic Products
Gymnasium/Field House/Arena - Lighting - Delviro Energy
Gymnasium/Field House/Arena - Scoreboards/Timing Systems - OES
Gymnasium/Field House/Arena - Sound Systems - Applied Electronics Ltd.
Gymnasium/Field House/Arena - Track & Field Equipment - UCS
Ice Rinks - Bleachers/Grandstands - Irwin Seating
Ice Rinks - Dashers - Welmar
Ice Rinks - Refrigeration Units - CIMCO
Indoor Sports Surfaces - Basketball - Robbins Sports Surfaces
Indoor Sports Surfaces - Multipurpose - Johnsonite/Tarkett
Indoor Sports Surfaces - Track - Beynon/Playteck
Locker/Shower - Flooring - Daltile
Locker/Shower - Lockers - Lincora
Locker/Shower - Shower/Toilet Partitions - Bobrick
Outdoor Facilities/Stadiums - Scoreboards - OES
Outdoor Facilities/Stadiums - Sports Surfaces - Beynon/Playteck
Outdoor Facilities/Stadiums - Track & Field Equipment - UCS
