 Philosophy
Every community is unique and as a result, we tailor our designs
to suit specific community needs. Our design philosophy is very
simple, we work well with the community, and we are good listeners;
the result… our facilities are popular and successful, yet
not overstated.
The traditional clinical and institutional approach to the design
of community and recreation centres is, in these days of increased
leisure time, totally inadequate. A new design philosophy, consistently
promoted by our team, is fast now being adopted by all authorities
contemplating the construction of new recreation centres or retrofitting
their older facilities.
 Gone
are the days when these facilities catered only to the serious athlete
or specific user. Too many municipal recreation buildings have become
a major burden on the taxpayer as a result of this approach.
Any new facility should be designed around a social “heart.”
In our view, it is essential that participants and spectators alike
are afforded the opportunity to relax and enjoy the company of one
another, while being at the centre of activity.
Our sense of functional programming in leisure facilities comes
from our long and extensive experience in that field... and with
people. A vision turned into a plan of implementation, with costing
right through the process, before design, before the vision is frozen.
 We
see cost realities as a creative, integral part of the functional
programming, not as a result of it.
Designed for the user, not as a monument, community and recreation
centres should be simple, tasteful, exciting, easily managed, and
planned accordingly. Not pretentious, but certainly practical in
every way, they should be “fun” places to be.
“Keep them entertained and they are bound to come back”
is, in a nutshell, a key to the VDA approach to designing modern
day leisure facilities. High use means high income. The field of
leisure facility design has advanced rapidly within the last few
years. VDA is at the forefront of this design revolution. Total
commitment to, and involvement in, the design and production process
is essential to the successful completion of any recreational facility.
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