A Clubhouse with a View

A new performing arts space was designed for Young Life Canada’s RockRidge Canyon, a year-round conference and retreat campus located amid a stunning setting near Princeton, B.C. The complex also hosts camping excursions and activities and is run by Young Life of Canada, a grassroots Christian organisation creating community experiences for Canadian youth for over 50 years.

The new facility, known as The Rock, includes a 300-seat theatre, expansive lobby and classroom teaching spaces on a lower level. The theatre space features a flexible design that can adapt to a range of performance types and other activities. Instead of fixed seating, chairs are used to enable the space to transform according to its many intended uses.

The design of the clubhouse responds to its context amid the spectacular natural environment. The main lobby opens onto a man-made lake, offering vibrant views of the water and surrounding scenery and drawing significant natural light inside the space.

The design features expressive wood structural and decorative elements, including wood columns and beams and acoustic panels in the lobby and theatre space. The design also features glass and concrete and partial steel structure. The result is a sensitive, responsive interpretation of the camp-like aesthetic.