Setting a Canadian construction record for the use of concrete tilt-up panels, Bird assembled the spectacular fly tower using 25 tilt-up concrete panels - each 82 feet high and each weighing an average of 45 tons - the tallest panels of this type ever erected in Canada. The massive panels were cast on-site. Once cured, they were hoisted into place using a combination of 500-ton fixed and mobile cranes and stabilized using a temporary steel support system.

The centre supports a range of cultural activities with a strong focus on the visual and performing arts. Key design features include a 540-seat main performance theatre; a community art gallery; and an open, transparent, double-height entrance lobby framed with large and dramatic wood glulam canopies.