The təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre Reflects Local Values

Completed this past spring in the heart of New Westminster, British Columbia, the təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre serves as a vital hub, not only for the surrounding neighborhood of single-family houses but also for the entire city of 87,000. Its name means “sea otter house” in the Indigenous hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language. It’s the city’s largest recreation center and its only indoor pool. As such, its purpose extends far beyond merely offering a place to swim or pump iron: It functions as the city’s main community-builder—the cathedral of this time and place.

Designed by Vancouver-based HCMA Architecture + Design, təməsew̓txʷ replaces an aging indoor pool that had been built for the 1970 Canada Games. Three times as big as its now-demolished predecessor, with a state-of-the-art pool-water filtration system, the new facility is Canada’s first completed Zero Carbon–certified aquatic center, according to the architects. The project includes a comprehensive program of pools, saunas, workout rooms, a childcare center, gymnasiums, offices, a café, and a wealth of hangout spaces—elements that were defined through a three-year-long community engagement process that prioritized the voices of Indigenous community members. 

Shaping Space to Fit the Land

With over 13,000 residents per square mile, New Westminster is the second most densely populated municipality in Canada and is proud of its identity, history, and land. Millennia of Indigenous inhabitation were followed by the city’s 1859 establishment as the original capital of British Columbia. That honor lasted only seven years but transformed it into a major industrial site and transportation hub. Subsequent population growth ultimately cost the city much of its lush natural landscape. 

The Glenbrook Ravine was one such treasure—and is now the site of the new aquatic center. Once a deep valley bisected by a freshwater stream, the ravine has long since been backfilled. A large underground stormwater pipe replaced the stream, restricting the buildable land to a jagged, narrow footprint, which the design team used to their creative advantage. “Rather than follow the colonial grid, we torqued the whole thing,” says architect Paul Fast of HCMA. 

Each main section of the building is defined inside and out by a roofline that cants and jogs in alignment with its respective position and function. In the main 50-meter lap pool, for example, the ceiling peaks at the diving-platform end and slants down toward the shallow end, a functional approach that also avoids the common but rigid shoebox form of most aquatic centers. The wading pool is spatially distinguished from the main pool by a lower ceiling and a glazed dividing wall, which offers a more intimate atmosphere for its purpose and contributes to energy savings. 

Blending Past and Present in Design

Entry plazas on each side are edged with naturalistic landscaping by Vancouver-based PFS Studio to partially restore the ambience and stormwater retention qualities of the historical ravine. The landscape architects sourced plants that once thrived on its slopes: salmonberry, huckleberry, cattail, and other native flora. 

Inside, a spacious and comfortably furnished entrance area evokes a public living room more than a foyer. At the other end of the foyer, the dramatic circular stairway offers the semiotics of a home, rather than an institution. Beyond the paid-admission wickets, the design team has devoted much attention to the way people use athletic spaces. Instead of a wide-open plan, the upper-floor fitness area is broken up into smaller zones from “leftover spaces,” as Fast calls them: the practical reconfiguration of irregularly shaped areas adjacent to elevators, mechanical rooms, and the pool-viewing gallery. The approach has the extra benefit of providing a greater sense of privacy for anyone navigating the fitness area. 

The pool itself is distinctive for its suspended CLT beams that support the ceiling with the help of embedded steel girders. “They’re fantastic; CLT doesn’t corrode,” says Fast. It’s also noteworthy for its adjacent and very open locker-room area: 70 percent of the locker space is all-gender, with private stalls available. And the main locker area features floor-to-ceiling glazing between the change area and the pool, with the overall configuration reflecting a larger cultural acceptance of transparency and gender neutrality. “These places are ground zero for a lot of changes that are happening in society,” notes Fast, “and it all comes down to the details.” 

The aquatic center now serves as a contemporary town square. “The notion of free is really important to us, to have a no-barrier condition,” says New Westminster chief administrative officer Lisa Spitale. That means it is both universally accessible (the project has a Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification) and has large public spaces inside and out. The pool and workout rooms require an entrance fee, but the foyer “living room” is completely open and free to enter. 

At sunset, the glazed facade turns the building into an illuminated beacon within the low-rise neighborhood. At a time when city dwellers find it ever more challenging to connect in person, the Aquatic Centre provides a welcoming venue. “People can stay as long as they want and connect with their neighbors,” notes Spitale. “You have every right to be there, and it doesn’t cost you anything. That’s the epitome of civic life. 

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• Architecture
• Interior Design
• Sustainability
• Wellness

• Adele Weder
• Community Engagement
• Embodied Carbon
• HCMA Architecture + Design
• Net Zero and Net Positive