The AIA NYS design awards celebrate local, national and international projects that achieve architectural excellence designed by architects throughout the state. A record 42 projects were recognized this year and will be honored during a virtual ceremony in December.
The Laurier Brantford YMCA is the result of a dynamic partnership between the regional YMCA and Wilfrid Laurier University and revitalizes the City of Brantford as a hub for community recreation and wellness. The two entities worked together through a highly collaborative design process that ensured all ideas and possibilities were uncovered and needs best met as they shaped a project to create exciting new opportunities for students and local residents.
Located at the confluence of a dynamic city edge, the center is conceived as an integrated design that offers the public a unified and cohesive experience asserting a new identify to the block and city as a whole. The design focuses on three themes – memory, movement and landscape – as it draws upon the rhythms and patterns of buildings that previously filled the location while creating new possibilities.
The new features of the YMCA include an aquatics centre with two pools for lane swimming; childcare area; youth zone for recreational, social and leadership development programs; a double gym design for sports and competition with retractable stadium seating for 860 people; comprehensive cardio and weight training space; group fitness studios; student lounge; and health intake consultation rooms for specialized community-based healthcare programs.
The project has previously been honored with a 2012 Canadian Progressive Architecture (p/a) Award, 2019 AIA Buffalo WNY Design Award, 2019 IIDA Design Award, and a 2020 Athletic Business Facility of Merit award while also covered by leading media including Canadian Architect, ArchDaily and IAKS s/b magazine.”