Vivo for Healthier Generations (formerly “Cardel Place”) was designed to respond to a landscape that slopes 5 metres across the site. The entrance from the west provides the more social components of the facility and is linked with a grand hall down a playful ramp to the athletic level. A separate entrance to the west provides an extended operation for the arenas on the west side of the building. The form reflects the unique rugged geography of the area.
The primary uses of the facility includes a twin ice arena, gymnasium, fitness amenities, aquatic centre and community offices/multi-purpose rooms, totaling 175,000 sf. The 18,000 sq. ft. library branch for the Calgary Public Library offers direct Community access to their full range of services. This dramatic facility integrates both with the adjacent parks lands, regional pathways and schools to create a dynamic community focal point.
GGA-Architecture has been an advocate for sustainable strategies for years extending back to Western Canada’s first LEED Gold project — Vivo for Healthier Generations. Many of the principles in this project were cutting edge technologies that we researched sufficiently to know that they would stand the test of time. Leveraging the location of the pool and the arenas, we designed a mechanical system that used the waste heat of the ice plant to heat the pool.