doublespace photographs the Rath Eastlink Community Centre by Perkins+Will

Back in November, we flew to Nova Scotia to photograph the Truro Rath Eastlink Community Centre by Perkins+Will. Despite some weather-related shenanigans, this was about as smooth a shoot as one could ever hope for.

Communication between all the involved parties is key for every assignment, but it is especially crucial when the shoot is out of town and we couldn’t have asked for better coordination on this job. P+W were extremely organized and responsive, and the facility staff were beyond accommodating – even going so far as to unbolt and move a large metal sculpture so we could have unobstructed views of the atrium!

Given that IRL scouting beforehand was not an option, we planned our shoot using the floor plans and site photos provided by the architect. Since the Community Centre is open from 5:30 in the morning to 10 o’clock at night, we also had to take into account the various activities in the pool and arena (go Bearcats!) when putting together our shoot schedule. Some people might be under the impression that our work begins when we arrive at the shoot but, in reality, hours of preparation go into the assignment before we even set foot in the building.

We take great care in planning our shoots, and some contingency is always built in for the unexpected. In this case, it was the weather; it either poured, drizzled or threatened to rain throughout our entire scheduled shoot time. On the morning we flew out there were miraculously blue skies, so we took the extra time to go back and re-take some key shots in the sunshine. We pride ourselves on our service and we will always go the extra mile to deliver for our clients.

A more extensive gallery from this shoot can be viewed here, and the facility was also featured on Interior Design.

From the architects:

“The town of Truro, Nova Scotia and surrounding area sought to build a venue to house two Maritime passions, musical performance and hockey. Through discussion, research and collaboration we helped establish a viable venue size for the arena. These discussions also helped establish the program sizes of the competitive pool, rock climbing area, health unit offices and multi-purpose spaces.

The sloping terrain on a shallow site required the major programmatic elements to be arranged in a linear fashion along a glazed entrance lobby. This lobby has access from parking located at both sides of the building. Glass walls separate the pool, lobby and arena and maintain transparency and views though the entire 170-metre-long structure. The result allows the building to reveal the activities within to motorists entering the town on the surrounding highway creating a sense of anticipation of the game, tournament or performance.”