Designed to be one of the City of Vancouver’s most inclusive and environmentally responsible facilities, Marpole Community Centre exemplifies innovation in accessibility and sustainability.

At the 2026 RAIC Conference on Architecture in Vancouver, Caroline Inglis, Architect at Diamond Schmitt, and Amalie Lambert, Project Manager with the City of Vancouver, will lead a site tour discussing the strategies used to balance these ambitious goals.

Together, they will highlight how shared owner-architect project values guided key design decisions, including a low-carbon mass timber structure, a curving roof design, and Passive House certification. The tour will also demonstrate how accessibility and inclusivity are integrated through thoughtful design choices, such as replacing unnecessary stairs with ramps and pathways, and incorporating Indigenous teachings into the design process.

Participants will reflect on how lessons from this project can inform future facility design while considering a key question: When high-performance goals compete, how do you decide which one takes priority?

More information about the conference and how to register here.