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Edmonton's Community & Public Services Committee received a report Friday outlining the design of the much-needed Lewis Farms Recreation Centre. Featuring ultramodern architecture by Montreal-based Saucier + Perrotte and local practice Architecture Tkalcic Bengert, which has since merged with Stantec, the project would include a large square activated by cafes and shops on the fringe.
The 19-hectare site at 220 Street and 92 Avenue in the West Edmonton community of Rosenthal would become a major urban plaza with sports fields, pools, two hockey rinks, three gyms, an aquatic centre, a rock climbing wall, community meeting rooms, and an indoor track. A library, Catholic upgrading school, and daycare are also expected to fill the contemporary halls of the complex.
The design of the circular facility was reportedly inspired by a Cree medicine wheel and the irrigation circles found in southern Alberta. Further circular embossments in the green roof are imagined as physical reflections of existing dips across the site's rural landscape. These smaller spaces will host picnic grounds and a skate park. The complex as a whole, in its materiality and scale, evokes snow and ice.
The project is among the first subjected to a new Edmonton policy that requires completion of detailed design work before Council approval of a construction budget. The development still needs about $16 million to finalize the design and put it out on the market for bidders. The City is also in the midst of acquiring land for the building. The $215 million project is expected to face Council during the 2019-22 capital budget process.
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