albion community centre

The Albion Community Centre is the new social heart of a budding community in Maple Ridge. The 20,000 SF, one-storey building takes advantage of a unique site adjacent to an elementary school designed and built concurrently with the community centre. This allows for the ability for indoor and outdoor program space to be shared with minimal redundancies for the community and user groups. The building takes inspiration from the traditional community hall typology (similar to one recently torn down in the area) while modernizing the form to enhance and optimize green initiatives. The building uses passive and active energy saving strategies implemented from the onset of schematic design which include solar panels, green roof, and electric car charging. As this public building acts as a showpiece of the community’s commitment to sustainable practices, architectural measures have been taken in order to show off the implemented technologies and strategies. The result is an actively-working educational resource for all users. The building was also awarded an accessibility grant allowing spaces to be fully functional to all users.

With these energy strategies in mind, we also designed the building’s aesthetic to mesh with its stunning natural surroundings. Landscaping forms part of the program through an amphitheater, outdoor daycare play area, and shared open plaza connecting with the school. The use of natural exterior materials and a green roof give the building the appearance of rising out of the ground itself.  The program is focused on flexible multi-use spaces that can be used for everything from an art room to yoga studios. This includes one large great hall that can host large events and community arts productions.