Situated along an important route between Buffalo, N.Y., and Detroit, and only a short drive from any community in Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe, the Vale Health & Wellness Centre is intended to elevate the profile of Port Colborne as a regional sports tourism destination, attracting tournaments and events, as well as providing for scheduled programming.
The complex has two spectator arenas with a second-level concourse/running track, a large multi-use field house and an aquatic center. The pool is used for training, instructional programs and local recreational use, and has a six-lane, 25-meter pool basin paired with a shallow, warm-water basin.Â
The operation of the project is a joint responsibility shared between the municipality and the YMCA of Niagara, which handles programming of the aquatic center, a second-level fitness and weight training studio overlooking the pool hall, and the large field house. A formed exterior courtyard serves as the public event space during warm-weather seasons.
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The design of the facility utilizes pre-engineered long-span components to enclose the spaces efficiently and inexpensively. The form of the building is developed by manipulating these spans to generate the necessary heights for sport activity and allow for controlled daylighting. Large translucent clerestories provide glare-free lighting for the pools and field house.
Judge's Comments
"Creative facade design on a pre-engineered metal building within a tight budget." — Katie Barnes
"The innovative manipulation of a standard pre-engineered building frame was extremely creative. In general, there was a sound approach to making difficult budget-driven choices." — Tracy Carusi
"The use of the pre-engineered structure in a unique combination of geometries is clever for a value building to achieve a meaningful form." — Greg Houston
