The Overbrook Community Centre has received several additions and renovations over its history. The latest expansion features a new full-size gymnasium complete with washrooms and changerooms as well as two new multipurpose rooms. The reconfigured, open concept lobby and central corridor were designed to promote community interaction and bring a sense of cohesion to the facility. Central to this idea is the new courtyard area, which is perceived as both a visual backdrop to community events occurring in the facility as well as an extension of the adjacent rooms.

The new addition is LEED^® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certified and meet basic standards of sustainable design. The sustainable features will reduce energy usage by 42.5% saving taxpayers $7500 per year. Greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by 33 tonnes per year.

• The washrooms are equipped with low flow and automatic fixtures that will reduce water use in this building by up to 890,000 litres/year.
• 95% of construction waste was diverted from landfill and recycled.
• The hardwood floor in the gym comes from sustainably harvested forests, certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
• 40% of materials used in this building were extracted or manufactured within 800km of Ottawa. This supports the use of local resources and reduces the amount of energy used in transportation.
• The white roof reflects the sun’s heat and is cooler than the standard dark roof. It will lower the energy load on the air conditioning system.
• Sunshades and Solera glazing units in the windows in the gymnasium reduce energy loads on the air conditioning system.