New Westminster, BC — The City of New Westminster’s təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre is the recipient of an award from the BC Recreation and Parks Association (BCRPA), with another two from the Recreational Facilities Association of British Columbia (RFABC). 

The BCRPA is a not-for-profit organization championing the power of recreation and parks, while the RFABC’s mission is to empower recreation professionals to operate safe, efficient, and accessible recreation spaces.
təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre is this year’s recipient of the BCRPA’s Facility Excellence Award for projects over $6M, recognizing outstanding facility design or redesign that reflects community culture. The centre is being praised for its groundbreaking achievement in sustainable and inclusive facility design. This award was presented to Mayor and City Council by BCRPA’s Chief Executive Officer Katie Fenn and BCRPA’s President Steve Kellock during Monday night’s council meeting.

təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre was recognized by the RFABC in two categories:

• The Polar Engineering Climate Action Award recognizes a space that demonstrates industry leadership in climate action through bold, innovative projects. This award celebrates facilities incorporating cutting-edge green technology while making significant strides in reducing g their carbon footprint.
   
• The Bill Woycik Outstanding Facility Award is presented to one exceptional recreation, sport or leisure space in the province; the facility must be relatively new or recently renovated. It must also address significant community need, demonstrate innovations in areas such as design, energy management, operations, revenue generation or services. The recipient must also show efficiencies in operation, energy conservation, and preventative maintenance.

“The City of New Westminster is incredibly honoured to see təməsew̓txʷ celebrated by these two advocates for recreation in our communities,” says Mayor Patrick Johnstone. “təməsew̓txʷ is just one of the examples of bold climate action the City is taking for a greener, sustainable future. The City would like to thank both the BCRPA and the RFABC for commending the collaboration between the City of New Westminster and hcma architecture + design.”

təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre is Canada’s first completed all-electric facility to achieve the Canada Green Building Council’s Zero Carbon Building-Design Standard. It also holds a Rick Hansen Foundation (RHF) Accessibility Certified Gold rating under the RHF Accessibility Certification™ program, achieving a score of 84%.

“I am so proud of all current and former City of New Westminster staff who have played a role in leading and supporting this project since its inception over six years ago. This undertaking was a bold move for our city, and responded to over two years of public consultation,” says Dean Gibson, Director, Parks and Recreation. “These recognitions acknowledge the centre’s thoughtful, accessible, and sustainable design.”

The CDN $114M, 10,684 sq m/114,571 sq ft combined aquatic and community centre fully opened to the public in May 2024. Designed by hcma architecture + design, təməsew̓txʷ is the City of New Westminster’s largest capital project to date. The centre’s name is derived from the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language, meaning “Sea Otter House,” and has received multiple awards, including most recently a Prix Versailles 2024 World Title.

To learn more about təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre, please visit the City’s website for more details.

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Contact:
Ria Renouf
Communications Coordinator
City of New Westminster
778-789-0573