The City of Surrey’s vision was to build a world-class aquatic centre to attract recreational users and professional athletes to the developing Grandview Heights community – the pivotal first piece of a larger master plan. The pool was to meet stringent FINA standards to host local and international competitions in its 10-lane Olympic-sized pool with seating for 900 spectators, yet remain universally  accessible and welcome a diverse set of abilities and cultures.

Project Essentials

  • LocationSurrey, BC
  • ClientThe City of Surrey
  • ArchitectHCMA Architecture + Design
  • Size95,000 ft² (8,825 m²)
  • BudgetC$53 million
  • Sustainable FeaturesCertified LEED Silver

A key consideration here was the facility’s roof, which would accommodate a 10m dive platform at one end and a spiralling waterslide at the other, with competition and leisure aquatics programming in between. Foregoing the typical ribbed ceilings of steel, the design team pursued a novel approach – the world’s most slender longspan timber catenary roof, with clear spans of up to 55m.

Fast + Epp developed the catenary roof using glulam members only 250mm deep supported by post-tensioned concrete buttresses on each end of the building. These spaghetti-like glulam “cables” were erected in just 12 days, supported by V-shaped concrete columns between the pools.

Awards

  • Architizer A+ Awards

    2018 Concepts - Plus-Architecture +Engineering Nominee

  • Wood WORKS! British Columbia

    2017 Wood Design Award - Engineer

  • Association of Consulting Engineering Companies British Columbia

    2016 Award of Excellence

  • Association of Consulting Engineering Companies British Columbia

    2016 Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Engineering Excellence

  • National Council of Structural Engineers Associations, USA

    2016 Excellence in Structural Engineering Award

  • Association of Consulting Engineering Companies Canada

    2016 Award of Excellence

  • The Institution of Structural Engineers, UK

    2016 Supreme Award

  • Association of Consulting Engineering Companies Canada

    2016 Schreyer Award

  • The Institution of Structural Engineers, UK

    2016 Award for Community or Residential Structures

We consider this project to be one of our firm’s most ambitious engineering applications to date, a successful marriage of form and function.