Kitchener rec centre to get Canada’s first glass sports floor

The City of Kitchener says the new Cowan Recreation Centre at RBJ Schlegel Park will feature the first multi-sport glass floor in Canada, with the surface available for use in early 2027.

The city announced Oct. 29 that the centre’s quad gymnasium will have the floor, which it described as one of the largest installations of its kind in the world. Installation is expected to be finished early in the new year.

LED lighting under the glass panels displays digital sport lines on the playing surface, the city said. The lines can be changed at the touch of a button, and only the lines for the sport being played are shown. The city said the floor will support pickleball, basketball, volleyball, floor hockey, futsal, badminton, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair pickleball.

“Great community spaces should evolve alongside the people who use them,” Mayor Berry Vrbanovic said in the city’s release. He said the floor would help attract tournaments and visitors who support local businesses.

The system was designed and installed by ASB GlassFloor and is already used in the United States and in Europe, including venues in Germany, Greece, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, according to the city. The floor is certified by the International Basketball Federation, the International Volleyball Federation and the International Handball Federation.

The city said the surface does not need regular refinishing or resurfacing, which means less downtime and lower maintenance costs. It said the swappable lines also make it easier to move between wheelchair basketball, wheelchair pickleball and volleyball.

The recreation centre officially opens Nov. 14. Visitors that day will be able to see the technology beneath the glass panels, the city said. The centre also has a FIFA-sized indoor turf field, cricket practice nets, competition and leisure pools and an indoor walking track.

Kitchener voters returned Vrbanovic as mayor in the Oct. 26 election, as Waterloo Region elected six new mayors. The city also reported advance voting up 47 per cent before election day. Earlier this fall, Kitchener sought volunteers for three new outdoor rinks.

Source: City of Kitchener news release, Oct. 29, 2026.

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