White stained glue-laminated timber, laminated strand lumber, and plywood are prominently featured in this interior balcony walkway view of the Guildford Aquatic Centre

Guildford Aquatic Centre

Location: Surrey, B.C.
Completion: 2015
Photo credit: Ema Peter

Size
6,503 square metres

Structural Engineer
StructureCraft

General Contractor
StructureCraft

Structural systems
Hybrid / Other
Low rise
Mass timber
Passive House / High performance
Prefabricated

Project materials
Glue-laminated timber (Glulam)
Laminated strand lumber (LSL)
Plywood

The Guildford Aquatic Centre shows how wood can be undisputedly modern, luminous and minimalistic

The Guildford Aquatic Centre in northeast Surrey is an addition to the Guildford Recreation Centre. The interior of the building is breathtakingly white, with a series of 29-metre-long stained white wood trusses overhead. The blue of the 50-metre-long competitive lap pool is in stark relief against the white ceiling and walls.

A white ceiling with the character of wood

The exposed, white-stained ceiling trusses were made from prefabricated engineered wood products. The top and bottom chords of the trusses are made from glulam, with LSL webbing and plywood decking. The trusses conceal pre-installed mechanical ducts, sprinklers, uplighting and acoustic ceiling insulation. There are built-in catwalks to allow access. The trusses are stained and painted white but display a textured wood pattern, warming up the stark whiteness of this Zen-like aquatic centre. The prefabricated structure was erected in 12 days.

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