Located in Burnaby’s Lougheed Town Centre, the new Cameron Community Centre and Library reimagines public infrastructure through architecture that is sustainable, resilient, and deeply rooted in community. Designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects, the 213,000-square-foot facility replaces a 40-year-old complex with a contemporary hybrid of mass timber and steel—bringing together culture, recreation, and connection under one roof.
At the core of the building is a mass timber structure made from 2,351 m³ of CLT and 1,160 m³ of glulam, supplied in SPF (Spruce-Pine-Fir) and Douglas-fir, respectively. MMT is leading the installation, bringing specialized field expertise that supports both schedule certainty and execution quality. With structural engineering by Fast + Epp, the system spans aquatic halls, fitness studios, and multipurpose gathering spaces, with exposed wood surfaces that bring warmth and clarity to the architectural experience. The project’s warped roof geometry—a dynamic sequence of folds and peaks—is made possible through long-span glulam beams and precision-engineered CLT panels.
Beyond its expressive materiality, the center is a model of climate performance. Designed to meet Zero Carbon Building Standards, it features an all-electric mechanical system, a living green roof, and more than 200 rooftop solar panels—advancing a biophilic design strategy rooted in mass timber and environmental stewardship.
Programmatically, the new facility is expansive: a full-sized gymnasium, a 10,000-square-foot fitness center, a leisure and lap pool, a 26,000-square-foot public library, youth and seniors lounges, childcare, a teaching kitchen, and a community hall.
The project is being delivered by Graham Construction, with phased delivery culminating in a grand opening by early 2028.
