s t e p 1 the site, known as the glen, finds itself at the intersection of westmount
park located to its northeast, and the city to its southwest. a preliminary massing
study (exclusive to site) responded to this condition by creating an outdoor room which separated the complex into two parts, connected by a bridge-like structure. this allowed for an unobstructed view into the park from the city, all the while continuing the openness of the park's greenspace
southward. a smaller building at the top of the site responded to the church across the street and filled that corner of the intersection, while the rest of the complex was centered around the existing ice skating rink. a large, horizontal volume was cantilevered over the glen, to emphasize this dramatic topographic dip.
s t e p 2 ignoring the massing developed in the previous step and thinking of program exclusively, i explored the importance of the change rooms in a recreational complex such as this one; the notion of these secondary spaces as a link and transition between main circulation and specialized sports spaces. since the gym, pool and arena all need change rooms, washrooms, first aid, and storage rooms, i created a fourth volume that was restricted to housing these rooms as well as the circulation space needed. this created four distinct volumes, with one volume spanning the entire length of the project, anchoring the other three volumes.
s t e p 3 keeping in mind the ideas derived in step two, i looked back at the site in question and the massing developed, and tried to merge the two ideas. the placement of volumes shifted slightly to follow the contour of the site, and some volumes were adjusted to accommodate their respective sports and functions. the pool complex was brought closer to the park and was left quite transparent to serve as a buffer between the park and the built forms of the rest of the complex as well as those along the rest of the site. the gym was placed above the arena and became the cantilevered element i had envisioned in the first step of the project. the change rooms and circulation were placed in a horizontal volume that cut through the other three volumes and became the link between the two main volumes. the variation in floor levels allowed for certain activities to be visible to each other, such as a viewing platform onto the skating rink as well as onto the gym.