Architect : hcma architecture + design | Vancouver, B.C.
Total Construction Cost : $114M (Canadian)
Square Feet : 114,571
Occupancy : May 2024
Project Description:
The təməsew’txw Aquatic and Community Centre aims to be the heart and soul of the New Westminster community and a place for all to connect. Woven into the landscape with a dramatic unifying roof, the building makes a strong civic statement while being sensitive to the natural environment and human-scale experience.
The facility was designed for all ages and abilities, and for how communities engage in recreation today and into the future. It includes a four-pool aquatics center with sauna and steam rooms, universal washrooms and change rooms, a fitness center, a gymnasium, community rooms, licensed childcare and administrative offices, as well as significant new plazas and green spaces.
təməsew’txw is Canada’s first all-electric aquatics center to achieve the Canada Green Building Council’s Zero Carbon Building - Design Standard, aiming for a 92% reduction in GHG emissions and elimination of building fossil fuel combustion. The name təməsew’txw means “Sea Otter House” in hənqəminəm, and was gifted by an advisory panel of urban Indigenous people and local First Nations.