![Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre / MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects - Facade](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/51a8/2d7c/b3fc/4b10/be00/03f9/newsletter/02.jpg?1369976186)
![Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre / MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects - Facade, Windows](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/51a8/2d87/b3fc/4b39/ee00/03f4/newsletter/03.jpg?1369976196)
Text description provided by the architects. The project is a joint-use partnership between the City of Edmonton and the Edmonton Eskimos Football Club; combining football operations, stadium programming, and a recreation centre. The facility adaptively reuses the 1978 stadium fitness centre and connects these usergroups over 4 stories through a cascading promenade and an innovative approach to materials and transparency. The project has revitalized a vacant stadium ground into a 24/7 urban park and community destination. The LEED-silver development includes a 60,000 sf 3-basin aquatic hall, 80,00 sf field house, 30,000 sf fitness centre, running track, gymnasium, and 30,000 sf of community space and new Eskimo Administration and Operations.
![Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre / MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects - Image 19 of 24](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/51a8/2e1b/b3fc/4b90/2700/0411/newsletter/plan.jpg?1369976344)
Three primary masses - Field House, Aquatics and Gymnasium - respond to the dynamic triangulated geometries of the site and frame a central lobby space - ‘the Social Heart’. These in turn define three exterior forecourt spaces.
![Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre / MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects - Handrail](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/51a8/2dab/b3fc/4b10/be00/03fe/newsletter/11.jpg?1369976233)
The building responds to the scale of the stadium and its dynamic nature. The pool massing creates a prow-like gesture, suggesting speed and movement. A southern canopy shields direct light and unifies with the taller field house mass. The cost effective silver metallic cladding is deeply carved to reveal a tessellated phenolic wood panel system. This rationalizes envelope geometries and frames large openings. Walls of variegated ceramic frit glazing modulates heat buildup, solar glare and user privacy.
![Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre / MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects - Facade](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/51a8/2dcd/b3fc/4b90/2700/040f/newsletter/16.jpg?1369976265)
The project’s planning interconnects the fabric of an underdeveloped neighbourhood, creates a year round community park, and draws the public from all three sides to a new Social Core. Park promenades are developed N-S and E-W through the building to connect community, transit, and the community recreation centre.
![Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre / MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects - Image 8 of 24](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/51a8/2ddb/b3fc/4b90/2700/0410/newsletter/18.jpg?1369976280)
The project is designed to allow three partnering but diverse groups to share their program specific amenities for mutual benefit and revenue. The Eskimos Football: use the pool, track, and fitness centre for player training and host game related events in the gym and meeting spaces. The Community: has joint use of the field house and use the Eskimos Football meeting and coaching rooms in the evening and off-seasons. The Stadium Operations: hosts side-stage events in the field house, uses the Community and Eskimo meeting and locker rooms for hosting and staging functions for concerts and athletic events.
![Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre / MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects - Image 24 of 24](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/51a8/2e29/b3fc/4b10/be00/0401/newsletter/section.jpg?1369976359)