Laval Aquatic Complex plans unveiled

Construction of $61.1 million facility expected to be completed by 2020

(TLN)

Last week the City of Laval announced the winner of a competition held to produce a design for the future Laval Aquatic Complex.

A successful competition

The NFOE-HCMA consortium was chosen for the building to be located on Terry Fox Ave. near the Cosmodôme. The corporation will now be responsible for all planning and specifications for the building itself, as well as supervision of construction which is expected to be completed by 2020.

“This is the first time that the City of Laval held an architecture competition and I am delighted with the results,” said Mayor Marc Demers. “Citizens will be able to take advantage of a building of very high quality that will raise the value of Laval’s building heritage. The audacity, the refinement, the architectural quality and the beauty of the site will add value and contribute to the quality of life of all those who will go there.”

The jury was impressed

“We were very impressed by the great quality of the elements and the enormous interest of the public towards the design concepts,” said Matthew C. Lella, president of the jury. “The finalists demonstrated great understanding of the project before proposing their ideas with passion. I thank them all for sharing their talents publicly. This contributes to the quality of the built environment in Laval. I offer my congratulations to the NFOE-HCMA team and to the city which is building the future for its residents.”

In all, 17 proposals were received and were analyzed. The jury, led by Lella, an architect with the firm Diamong & Schmitt, was appointed by the city. Other members of the jury were Olympic champion diver Alexandre Despatie, well-known journalist and author Lise Bissonette, Benoit Lamarre, an urban planner with the city, building engineer Lucien Viel, as well as architects Daniel Pearl, Stéphane Chevalier, Manon Asselin and Anne Vallières.

An emphasis on comfort

Comfort, refinement, innovative functionality and daring are all words the jury used when describing the project put forward by NFOE-MCMA. According to the city, the concept itself is strongly rooted in the notion of the comfort of users, with elements such as family locker rooms and a beckoning snack bar/café which opens on to a public gathering space.

In terms of urban planning, the jury particularly appreciated the circular shape of the building and the way it fits easily into the site. The winning design follows a current trend in the architecture of aquatic centres. The designers are hoping to achieve a Gold LEED certification for environmental friendliness and also will be including some of the latest high-tech innovations.

Will have three pools

The building will have three pools, including one for swimming, another for diving and a third for recreational use. Pemanently-installed bleachers will accommodate 700 people, while an additional 500 temprary seating spaces will be made available for major events.

The start of construction is scheduled for sometime in 2018 so that the aquatic complex is ready in time for the Jeux du Québec Finals which Laval hopes to host in July 2020. The winning design respected an estimated price tag of $61.1 million that the City of Laval stated in its triennial capital works budget for 2017-2019.