The City of Richmond has received the 2022 Bill Woycik Outstanding Facility Award from the Recreation Facilities Association of British Columbia (RFABC) for the Minoru Centre for Active Living.

The prestigious award, presented annually, recognizes a new or relatively new recreation, sport or leisure facility that meets a demonstrated community need through innovations in design, energy management, operations, revenue generation and services.

“Since being fully open to the community in 2020, the Minoru Centre for Active Living has become a recreational, social and cultural hub for the community that showcases the city’s commitment to innovation, design and environmental efficiency,” said Mayor Malcolm Brodie. “The Minoru Centre for Active Living serves as an important place where Richmond’s diverse and intergenerational community can come together to be active and create connections.”

The Minoru Centre for Active Living at 7191 Granville Avenue houses one of the province’s premier aquatic centres, along with a seniors centre, event centre and an 8,500 square foot fitness centre. Accessibility was a key focus during the design, resulting in features such as automated doors, transfer edges for easy and comfortable access to the pools, universal change rooms, high contrast signage and lower counter heights.

The Minoru Centre for Active Living is equipped with energy saving equipment such as high performance windows, demand control ventilation and LED lights with occupancy sensors that, together, help to reduce the building’s energy consumption by 49 per cent compared to similar but more conventional facilities elsewhere.

“The Minoru Centre for Active Living is not only an aesthetically stunning facility in design, but has incorporated impeccable energy efficiencies and sustainability initiatives in its construction,” said Jenna Stevens, RFABC president-elect.