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= Canadian Sports Facilities = Sports facilities play a major role in Canadian society. Sports facilities are defined as an enclosed space that allow patrons to assemble to either participate as spectators or as a member of the game. This would include pavilions, stadiums, ice rinks and places of similar fashion. However, sports facilities cannot be limited to a specific program parameter as they vary in size due to the surrounding population and economic support. There are many categories that can divide this ubiquitous type of architecture found in almost every community from the west coast to the east coast of Canada. Communities often have will have something from as minimal as a sheltered ice pad to a complex that supports multi-sport activities. This building type is an essential economic development and piece of infrastructure, according to the citizens of Canada. Although, sports have been widely recognized for numerous years, the architecture that welcomes these communities to participate has been overlooked.

The rapid growth of sports facilities began in the 1900’s. By the year 1920, numerous cities in Canada sponsored public recreational facilities and the number began to grow exponentially. The construction of these facilities is directly proportional to the growth of urbanization and the increased wealth and leisure. Therefore, it has put further pressure on the government and non-government agencies to invest in this sector of community architecture.

History of Sports Facility Development
The role that recreation plays in culture traces back to ancient times. Sports competitions often comprised of archery, hunting and combat. Further along in history, the Olympic games emerged from Greek society and this was normally held in arena complexes, where masses of crowds gathered to admire the skill demonstrated.

Similarly, the powerful Roman empire also took pride in athletics. The famous Roman colosseum, built to host sports and entertainment, is one of the most celebrated architectural achievements of the time. The colosseum remains to be an equally popular tourist destination today. The Roman colosseum has shown its dominance in architecture even 2000 years later as sports facilities have replicated many of its fundamental architectural components.

The first sports facility in Canada was a privately owned club constructed in the mid-1800’s. As wealth and leisure increased, the number of facilities grew as wealth. Due to many advocates voting for the promotion of health and well-being in Canadian society, sports facilities have become increasingly funded by the government.

Present Development
Today sports facilities can be divided into multiple categories based on their agenda in supporting the needs of its community. Sports facilities vary based on the community’s economic support and the population using the facility.

During the 1800’s, unsheltered skating rinks were commonly developed downtown along public transportation routes. This often occurred when there was not enough economic support to construct a covered facility. However, these were designed to support the needs of the people. This was often practiced in highly dense urban areas. A skating rink, designed by Ken Greenberg, is located below the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto, which provides public access to a park and an ice-rink. The ice skating path first opened to the public in 2018. The goal of this project was to address the shortage of recreational space open to suburban residents. Architecture can take any shape or form to provide a space for Canadian citizens to participate in recreation.

History
Smaller communities typically consist of a single-use facility. It is most common to have a pitched roof, steel shed that provides a means of gathering at the rink.

In 1852, the first covered skating rink in the world was constructed in Quebec City, Quebec. It consisted of a two-storey pitched roof supported with rows of columns. Subsequent to this, two predominant rinks were built in Canada during the late 1800’s: the Victoria Skating-Rink in Montreal, designed by Lawford & Nelson Architects and the Victoria Skating Rink in New Brunswick, designed by Charles Walker.

The Montreal Skating Rink, built in 1862, was a two-storey brick building supported by curved wooden trusses. A 10-foot elevated promenade circled the ice-rink to allow for spectators to watch or for skaters to rest. These early rinks would prohibit large crowds since the view was very limited. These rinks appear to be constructed in a similar approach as the military drill sheds found in Toronto during the mid-1800’s.

The construction of the Victoria Skating Rink in St-John, New Brunswick took place shortly after. This particular structure took the form of a dome reaching 80-feet-high, comparable to the Royal Albert Hall in London. A stage was also constructed to allow for performances and musicians to play during public skates.

The above examples are the primary model structures of what is seen in many small-town communities throughout the 1900s. In the year 2018, there were a total of 3,363 indoor single ice pad facilities across Canada.

Durham Community Centre
In Grey County, Ontario, an example of a small-town sports facility is the Durham Community Center, which shelters a regulated ice surface to support its current population of 2,500 people. However, many iterations of this covered ice rink were built before. The first rink, known as the McDougall Property, located in Durham was built in upper town. The sports facility structures of the late 1800s would often consist of a wood framed structure with a dirt floor that was flooded every winter season. In addition, there was a rink built by Thomas Brown which consisted of a half round roof with posts built within the ice surface to support the roof. This structure was not suitable for hockey games. The first game of hockey was not played until the year 1909 when the new rink was built by Brown. This rink later fell beyond repair and the Kinsmen Club raised money for a new facility. Many local companies and contractors donated their time and efforts to cover the construction costs.[8] The Durham Memorial Arena was officially opened in 1952. Not long after, the building was deemed unsafe in 1975.

Organizations in the Durham community once again raised funds to make everything possible. This new community centre measures 215 feet by 186 feet that houses an ice floor, a community hall, dressing rooms, washrooms, first aid room, referees dressing room, electrical rooms, a mechanical room, a ticket booth, and a canteen. Today it is known as the Durham Community Centre.

Dual-Use Sports Facilities
The next category of sports facility is the ‘Sports complex,’ which has the ability to host two or more activities. Concurrently, a case study located in Grey County is the Hanover P&H Centre. It is built for the population of just under 7,500 people. The building permit was originally issued in 1995 to build the ‘Regional Aquatic Centre’ as an addition to the existing coliseum. The addition was designed by the Bywater Mitchell Architects Inc. Several years later, in 2009, Barry-Bryan Associates working out of Whitby, Ontario, were commissioned to construct a new community complex arena. The P&H Centre, is home to the Hanover Honda Arena and Regional Aquatic Centre and includes many amenities. The key feature is an NHL-sized ice pad with five large dressing rooms to cater to a widely used centre. Hockey continues to be a popular tradition in many Canadian families. There are around 700,000 participants in this recreational activity every year. The arena also includes meeting rooms, boardrooms, and other multi-purpose facilities. There is also a walking track widely used by seniors, dryland training equipment, a heated viewing gallery, an aquatic centre, a food and beverage court, and administrative offices.

Multi-Use Sports Facilities
This facility is built with a greater square-footage to address a larger population and house more indoor amenities for various sports. This is often the occurrence of a YMCA. An example in Grey County is the Julie McArthur Regional Recreation Centre located in Owen Sound, Ontario. A space like this supports communities around a population of over 22,000 people. The amenities are designed to aid people in attaining personal goals and support a healthier lifestyle. The facility was built in 2012 as a means to offer more personal development programs. The amenities include two NHL sized ice pads, dressing rooms, and viewing areas. This is an outstanding feature that smaller communities would not be able to support. The list of amenities continues with a swimming facility, fitness centre, weight room, a walking track, multi-sport gymnasiums, and other supporting amenities.

Sports Facilities Across Canada
These present day facilities are truly an embellishment of the Canadian landscape, especially compared to the very humble structures found in the 1800’s. The form typically consists of seats pitched at a 30-degree to 35-degree slope to optimize patrons viewing of the sport. These have been inspired by the ancient Roman Colosseum. Over the years, simple structure has become more elaborate to act as a flexible structure to host numerous entertainment activities within a community. Various perspectives have been developed on the subject of being a “fan-driven facility.” Particular arenas and stadiums have become very iconic symbols and have come to define a city. For example, the Montreal Forum and Toronto Scotiabank Arena have made a prominent appearance in the landscape of these cities.

These many sports facilities were built to support the widely popularized Canadian winter tradition of hockey. This typology of infrastructure is considered to be one of the most important cultural buildings in Canada. Sports facilities have played a main role in unifying language, politics and the heritage amongst the country’s citizens. Some of the largest arenas allow for 65 000 Canadians to view some of the most memorable moments in sports history. Many Canadians compare arenas and stadiums to the same status level of religious buildings.