The University of Alberta Physical Activity and Wellness Centre (PAW) is an award-winning academic, recreation centre that encourages healthy lifestyle choices by offering a variety of activities related to the overall concept of wellness.
The PAW Centre addresses the need for a centralized facility emphasizing a healthy lifestyle for students, faculty and the public by unifying four existing buildings with a new fitness and climbing centre. This was achieved through a partnership with the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation (FPER), the University of Alberta Student’s Union (SU), the Graduate Student’s Association (GSA), and the Steadward Centre for Personal and Physical Achievement (Steadward Centre). The project dovetails with the University of Alberta Senate's wellness initiative to make the campus one of the healthiest in Canada. In addition, this project had an intensive user and community engagement process involving numerous student bodies and the surrounding residential community.
The project encloses the space between the West (Varsity) Gymnasium and Van Vliet East Wing through to the north. The result is a social street on level 2 of the Van Vliet Centre which makes visual connections to the Student Union Building from the north and 87th Avenue to the south. The new concourse provides a circulation backbone and important social and public space for the PAW Centre and the existing Van Vliet West and Van Vliet East. The social street acts as an organizing element for circulation and wayfinding on all levels of the facility while connecting to the larger campus as whole.
The PAW centre provides a striking and iconic architectural presence at the corner of 87th Avenue and 114th Street creating a defined gateway to the North Campus. This corner is widely recognized as a junction between the Health Sciences Precinct and the rest of the North Campus and is considered to be the main campus entrance. At the PAW centre, the team chose to place the climbing centre adjacent the intersection in what we call the ‘Climbing Cone’. The Climbing Cone is an iconic shape located at the southeast corner of the site, capitalizing on the opportunity to bring daylight and controlled sunshine into the large areas of the facility. In doing so, transparency is maximized in this part of the complex and the entry to the campus along 114th Street is visually activated. Students, visitors and passers-by are each fully aware of the activity and vibrancy of the life within the PAW centre walls. The architecture is open with high volumes, airy, welcoming, dynamic, highly visible and a sustainable landmark at the entrance to the campus.
Sustainability was one of the design criteria put forward by the University, SU and the GSA. Working with the Office of Sustainability the consultant team explored a number of sustainable initiatives. Initiatives were reviewed in terms of cost and pay back as well as the learning opportunities the initiative could provide. The southern exposure of the PAW Centre along 87th Avenue provided the opportunity to incorporate photovoltaic and solar panels into the design. The photovoltaic panels are used as a bris-soleil on the fitness centre. Solar panels on the roof of the fitness centre are used to heat water for the facility. Both the photovoltaic and solar panels are used by the Faculty of Engineering and Office of Sustainability for teaching and learning.
