GEC Architecture has been behind numerous innovative buildings across Alberta since it was founded 50 years ago in Calgary.
The design of health, wellness and sport facilities has become a core discipline of GEC’s practice over the decades, so it’s not surprising the firm — which has had a relationship with the Calgary Flames for 30 years — is assisting Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corp. with its CalgaryNEXT project.
GEC designed the Saddledome in 1983 and did the retrofit between 1994 and 1995. It was also kept busy there repairing extensive damage caused by the 2013 floods.
The firm has developed a keen relationship with winter sports organizations, especially through its design of community-based buildings that include ice sheets.
An early example is the historic Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre where part of the original structure was taken down to remove rotten timbers. The new structure, which includes four ice sheets, is now used each year to host the TSN Skins curling competition.
A favourite of mine is the GEC design that gave us the Olympic Oval at the University of Calgary, with its vast clear span roof over speedskating track, two Olympic-size hockey rinks and training and exercise facilities.
Senior partner David Edmonds, a big picture thinker recognized for his ability to provide the ideal balance between performance and design, leads the GEC team that includes partner Andrew Tankard. They’re supported by business development director David Swanson, who specializes in multi-use facilities that promote community interaction and athlete participation.
GEC design’s of the Markin Macphail Centre for WinSport at Canada Olympic Park raised the bar for modern, high-performance training facilities, and the growing list of athletic facilities in its portfolio includes two recreational centres for the City of Calgary that will be operated by the YMCA.
The Remington YMCA recreation centre in Quarry Park opened this month. The 94,000-square-foot facility is a new southeast community hub containing and aquatic centre, gymnasium and running track, along with a large fitness centre, a Calgary Public Library branch and licensed child care.
The Rocky Ridge recreation facility, to open in the latter part of 2017, is three times the size of the one in Quarry Park. Under construction if the city’s northwest area off Country Hills Boulevard. At 280,000 square feet, it sports a number of sustainable initiatives including a combined heat and power cogeneration system.
Its dramatic wavy roof covers a hockey and leisure ice component, a triple gymnasium, a running track and fitness areas plus an aquatics areas with an eight-lane 25-metre competition pool, wave pool, lazy river and vortex, water slide and tots pool.
Rocky Ridge will include a significant community cultural program with a 300-seat theatre, an arts space and small branch of the public library.
It’s a good example of the way GEC champions responsible sustainability to deliver multi-purpose health and wellness gathering spaces that inspires people, respects context and brings its clients vision to life.
News and notes
Calgary boutique executive search firm BluEra has been acquired by Chicago-based DHR International. Founded in 2008, BluEra focused on executive search, team transformation and executive coaching. Combining the two firms will make DHR one of the largest executive recruiting firms in Western Canada. It has another Canadian office in Toronto and now boasts more than 50 wholly-owned offices around the world.
Congratulations to Sharie Hunter of Arthur/Hunter who won two Gold Hermes Creative Awards for the production of Calgary Economic Development’s film centre marketing materials and ARC Resources’ 2015 annual report.
David Parker appears Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Read his columns online at calgaryherald.com/business. He can be reached at 403-830-4622 or by email at info@davidparker.ca