Atlas Tube Centre

The Atlas Tube Recreation Centre is designed to be a collective recreation and social center. It houses a 1,000-seat arena with a concourse that doubles as a walking track, public multipurpose rooms with access to exterior terraces, a library and space for a future pool.

The malleable program suggested two parallel accordion-like bars that could expand and contract without affecting the clear public circulatory system of the building. One “cold program” bar organized a linear and expandable progression of long span arenas — ice hockey or indoor soccer — with a public viewing lobby on one edge and a continuous bar of mechanical and service space connecting the opposite ends of the arenas. A parallel bar aligned the “warm program” components of the library, program rooms and multipurpose gymnasium.

The long span arena roofs were formed in a sawtooth profile to allow for generous natural light from north-facing clerestory polycarbonate glazing panels. The large roof expanses angled to the south were optimized to support 60,000 square feet of photovoltaic arrays. The shorter span gymnasiums and library were housed in a low bar that allows for continuous glazing around the perimeter of the base with views out to the surrounding park.

Judge's Comments

"The simple structural system of bent beams in a saw-tooth configuration accomplishes many things: it captures northern daylight, houses south facing solar panels, and creates an interesting and expressive building form."   — Chris Sgarzi

"The exterior is brutal and honest like its site, yet the interiors are warm and welcoming."   — Steven Flanagan

"A testament to the notion that simple and clean elegance need not be sterile or mundane."   — Tom Poulos