Building & Investment (Jul - Aug 2016) (Jul - Aug 2016) | Page 16

Project Highlight

Canada’s Active Living Centre wins award
for ‘outstanding sports facility’
Designed by Cibinel Architects Ltd + Batteriid Architects, the centre exemplifies excellence
in architectural design and functionality, among others. Photo credit: Jerry Grajewski
DESIGNED BY Cibinel Architects Ltd +
Batteriid Architects, the Active Living Centre
at the University of Manitoba was recently
named a 2016 NIRSA Outstanding Sports
Facility Award recipient.
The international awards recognise
the innovative design of new, renovated or
expanded collegiate recreational facilities.
This marks the first time since 1988 that a
Canadian building has won the award.
The centre was noted by the National
Intramural-Recreational Sports Association
(NIRSA) as a facility that exemplifies
excellence in a number of critical areas,
including architectural design, functionality,
and how well the facility meets its intended
purpose.
As the keystone of the university’s
Fort Garry Campus, the 100,000 sq ft,
facility boasts features and attractions such
as a 12-metre climbing wall, an elevated
200-metre running track and over 1,000
pieces of free weights and accessories. A
research centre, strength and conditioning
facilities, and three group workout studios
complete this state-of-the art facility.
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“The Active Living Centre is indeed a
pride point for our faculty, university, and
community,” says Dr Douglas Brown, Dean,
Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation
Management, University of Manitoba.
“We believe it serves as a catalyst of health
and well-being for our students, faculty, staff,
and community as a whole.”
George Cibinel, the project’s Design
Director, describes the facility’s importance
to the campus and its relationship to the
community, “the project is located at the
corner of University Crescent and Dafoe
Road, across from the campus Welcome
Centre, which is an important pedestrian
entrance to the campus for people arriving by
car or bus. The mandate of the University was
to take this opportunity to create a dynamic
and vibrant facility that would introduce
students, faculty and staff to recreation as a
healthy lifestyle and to create a place where
they would love to stay”.
The award is the sixth received by Cibinel
for projects they have completed on the
University of Manitoba’s two campuses.
Cibinel Architecture is a consulting