Suncor Community Leisure Centre at MacDonald Island Park
Fort McMurray, Alberta

Barr Ryder Architects was retained by the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo to work on the renovations and expansion of the existing C.A. Knight Recreation Complex on MacDonald Island in Fort McMurray.

The existing 30 year old facility consisted of a single ice sheet with leisure ice, 12 sheets of curling ice, a small fitness and racquet facility, a banquet and lounge facility, and golf course club house. This was to be added to the components of a multiplex that had been in the planning stages for over five years.

The goal of this expansion was to provide a family oriented multiplex of recreation and leisure activities that would make Fort McMurray a destination for sport use and for community involvement into fitness wellness. The vision was to ensure that the facilities fit seamlessly together to provide a unique environment for the population of Fort McMurray and visitors allowing them an opportunity for a wide variety of physical and leisure activities within one complex.

A main central circulation concourse was the most viable way of ensuring that all patrons would share in the excitement of the entire facility. The physical form and the requirement for substantial amounts of glazing for both the Aquatics Centre, and the Library made these ideal visual identifiers for the facility on its western front façade.

The program incorporates:
• Indoor track
• 2 fieldhouses
• New arena
• 54 m competition pool
• 4 lane warm-up pool
• Leisure aquatics
• Library
• Fitness/wellness
• Climbing wall
• Renovated existing facility
• Lease spaces
• Child play/child minding