A new recreation centre set to open in Kitchener next week will feature a sports floor unlike any other in a Canadian public facility. The Cowan Recreation Centre, located at RBJ Schlegel Park in the city’s southwest end, will be home to technology that allows court markings to be changed at the touch of a button. “This technology is going to be only the second of its kind in North America. It’s going to be the first public glass floor in Canada and the third-largest glass floor installation in the world,” said Osama Siddiqui, customer experience project manager for the City of Kitchener. Instead of traditional painted lines, the specially constructed glass panels have LED lights installed underneath them that can be programmed to display court markings for different sports, eliminating the overlapping lines typical of multi-purpose gymnasiums. The technology will support basketball, volleyball, pickleball, badminton and futsal. The glass surface is also expected to be more durable than a traditional hardwood gym floor and will support adaptive sports, including wheelchair basketball and wheelchair pickleball. Siddiqui said the floor meets or exceeds performance standards for a premium hardwood surface, including requirements for ball bounce and friction. It also carries the highest level of certification from international basketball, volleyball and handball federations. The city prioritized Canadian alternatives for the project amid ongoing trade tensions, but staff said the floor had to be manufactured by German company ASB GlassFloor because it is the only producer of glass sports floors globally. City of Kitchener deputy CAO Michael May said construction began before tariff tensions escalated, but the city adjusted its procurement approach when they did. “The amount of tariffs that we’ve incurred is actually quite low,” May said, adding that the city looked for Canadian alternatives when they made financial sense and could be delivered on time. While the glass panels are imported from Germany, the installation, electrical work and project management were awarded to an Ontario-based company. The gym and glass floor have a separate budget of approximately $30 million, which was added after initial plans for the recreation centre were finalized. The broader Cowan Recreation Centre project has an approved budget of approximately $174 million, including roughly $30 million in combined funding from the federal and provincial governments. “It’s important to point out that this is the single largest project the City of Kitchener has ever undertaken,” May said. The facility will include four gyms, two stainless steel pools and a FIFA-sized indoor fieldhouse. It will also feature a free indoor walking track aimed at providing residents, including seniors, a place to exercise and socialize. The city plans to offer low-cost coffee and seating in that space. Construction has been underway for approximately 2 1/2 years, with the city preparing to open the facility to the public Nov. 14. The glass sports floor, however, will not be ready until early 2027. City staff will use the extra time to train on operating and maintaining the specialized flooring system. The glass panels are modular and can be lifted for maintenance, while the LED drivers can be serviced remotely by the manufacturer. Once operational, the city expects the floor to provide local athletes with more opportunities to play multiple sports on a single surface.
