Hampstead is a Montreal suburb known for its leafy streets and spacious homes. Located at the town’s geographic center, Hampstead Park is the community’s most important public space.
Dispersed among a group of small municipal parks, Hampstead’s recreational facilities are aging and in disrepair. The relocation of an outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts and a soccer field from these peripheral locations to Hampstead Park reaffirms the role of this central space as a focal point for recreational activities. The construction of a new bath house and the renovation of a children’s playground, a baseball diamond and a jogging track complete the revitalisation of the park.
The challenge of dissimulating the impact of sports facilities and their protective fences on the landscape of the park was addressed by replacing conventional rectangular enclosures with organic forms and by sinking enclosures into the ground. The deck of the new swimming pool is a broad ellipse inserted five feet below the level of the park. Excavation material from this operation was kept on site to create a tobogganing hill.
Conceived in the tradition of a wood-frame clubhouse and realized in concrete and steel, the bath house includes sky lit changing rooms, a snack bar and a restaurant. Wrapped by a porch in the manner of a clubhouse veranda, the bath house projects its rectangular volume into the ellipse to form a terrace overlooking the pool. The pool deck includes extensive plantations and a playful water game area.
