The new Montréal-Ouest Sports and Recreation Centre project embodies the municipality’s commitment to providing the community with a modern, sustainable, and accessible facility, capable of addressing climate resilience challenges as well as the needs of today’s and tomorrow’s users.
The project brings together an indoor ice rink, two outdoor pools, multi-purpose rooms, a restaurant, a pro shop, recreation offices, and outdoor amenities, forming a true community hub dedicated to sports, gathering, and collective well-being.
To meet the project’s objectives, the professionals relied on integrated strategies combining environmental performance with quality of use. The roofs of the rink and gymnasium are built from CLT wood to reduce the building’s carbon footprint and left exposed to create a biophilic space. Above the ice, the steel trusses draw their form from the shape of hockey sticks. Heat recovered from the rink helps heat the building’s water and the outdoor 25-metre pool, while bioretention basins and permeable surfaces support sustainable stormwater management. Designed according to universal accessibility principles, the centre includes facilities adapted for para-hockey.
At the heart of the complex, an atrium bathed in natural light brings the sports areas together and aids wayfinding. It also showcases the blown-glass artwork De joie et de Paix by artist Maryse Chartrand, which contributes to the site’s distinctive identity.
Built on the site of the former Legion arena, the project is part of a broader redevelopment of the site, linking existing infrastructure, new outdoor sports areas, and reimagined access points. In this way, the project preserves the spirit of the location while offering a centre oriented toward innovation and intergenerational conviviality.
Technical challenges :
- Mixed building made of concrete, steel and timber which requires numerous connection details between the elements
- CLT roof supported by roof trusses made of steel and Glulam
- Structural separation of the arena portion from the gymnasium area requiring a seismic joint on the floor and roof
- Design and specification of the ice rink slab and concrete elements to integrate the refrigeration equipment (tanks, grated walkway, etc.)
Notable solutions and innovations :
- The trusses supporting the CLT roof are made up of structural steel and glued laminated wood (glulam) elements
- Since these trusses are located above the ice rink, their geometry was visualized and designed to resemble two hockey sticks.
- Finally, the trusses are designed to arrive at the construction site in two pieces and assembled there using steel plates joining them at the center of the span
