Coronation Park is connected to the Peter Hemingway Aquatic Centre via an elevated glass link. This connection between the 250-metre cycling track, homologated by the UCI as a Category A facility, and the 50-metre pool transforms the centre not only into a high-level cycling facility prepared for major international events, but also into one of the components of North America's first indoor triathlon venue, with facilities available year-round for all three disciplines.
The architecture of the building emerges from its relationship with its context. Its sloping roofs and three large earth berms visually reduce its height, anchor the volume to the ground, and allow the neighbouring science and aquatic buildings to retain their presence within the park. The geometry of the cycling track determines the continuous variation in the façade slope, generating a dynamic massing whose silhouette changes from every viewpoint.
Coronation Park by HCMA + Dub Architects + FaulknerBrowns. Photograph by Nic Lehoux.
The clear-span roof is rotated 90 degrees in relation to the oval velodrome and the running track below, producing a continuous ribbon-like envelope that tilts inward when viewed longitudinally and outward from a transverse perspective. This geometry is constructed using radial steel ribs and a timber diaphragm. The fir panels used along the perimeter form a fundamental part of the structural system and contribute to achieving a highly airtight building. Inside, the exposed and inclined timber panels, also inspired by the track, add warmth and natural texture.
"Too often, high-performance sports and community recreation occur in separate facilities. With Coronation Park Sports and Recreation Centre, we rethought the traditional model and designed an integrated experience: one that combines world-class cycling and triathlon facilities with community sport and recreation spaces. Now, people of all ages and abilities can come together to gather, exercise, and play."
Michael Henderson, Principal at HCMA.
Coronation Park by HCMA + Dub Architects + FaulknerBrowns. Photograph by Nic Lehoux.
The project is based on a strategy of integrating high-performance sport and community use. In contrast to the typically specialised character of velodromes, designed for international competitions and with high operating costs, the City of Edmonton sought to make high-performance sport part of a broader spectrum of community activities. Edmonton's climate, characterised by extreme winter temperatures, reinforces the need to provide indoor spaces for sport, exercise, and social interaction throughout the year.
"Our challenge was to insert a large footprint into an established city park. The design of the Coronation Park Sports and Recreation Centre is woven into the fabric of the park, so that the architecture enhances — rather than interrupts — the landscape. The fluid form is more than an expression of sport; it is a calculated response to its environment and context."
Michael Dub, Principal at Dub Architects.
Coronation Park by HCMA + Dub Architects + FaulknerBrowns. Photograph by Nic Lehoux.
The programme is completed by a fitness centre, functional training spaces, fitness and spinning studios, a children's area, a climbing wall, sports courts, and multipurpose rooms. Inside, wood, concrete, and glass are combined with a colour palette based on blues and coral tones, inspired by Edmonton's identity and the world of cycling. The result is a facility conceived as both sports infrastructure and a community space, where high-performance activity is visually and spatially integrated into the everyday life of the centre.
"We are proud to have collaborated with HCMA architecture + design and Dub Architects to deliver one of North America's premier cycling facilities and one of Canada's most dynamic community centres. We expect this facility to inspire participation in cycling and deliver athlete development programmes that support the progression of the next generation of Canadian cyclists to the international stage."
Paul Rigby, Partner at FaulknerBrowns.
