Peter Hemingway Fitness and Leisure Centre Rehabilitation

Edmonton, Alberta

In association with ACI Architects

Completed in late 2025, the rehabilitation of Edmonton's Peter Hemingway Fitness and Leisure Centre pairs heritage conservation with high-performance modernization. Serving as Design Architect in collaboration with ACI Architects, RDHA provided heritage visioning and design consultancy to modernize this 50-year-old architectural landmark while preserving its iconic character.

Located in Coronation Park, the facility houses an Olympic-sized swimming pool, lower-level fitness centre, and mezzanine stretching areas. The entire program is sheltered beneath Hemingway's signature tensile roof structure - a system of exposed wood beams and decking suspended by tension cables, propped by timber columns, and enclosed in expansive glazing. The rehabilitation carefully protects this transparency, allowing shifting natural light to continue defining the interior volume.

The comprehensive intervention addresses critical system failures to improve energy efficiency and thermal performance. Scope included the complete replacement of the curtain wall system and roof membrane, alongside a total overhaul of the aquatic infrastructure - including filtration, tank gutters, boilers, and ventilation. By updating interior partitions, finishes, and lighting, the design team met modern accessibility standards while remaining faithful to the original 1970s architectural language.

Photos: Sean Stewart Photography Ltd.