Arising tower by tower in a former waterfront railway yard, CityPlace remade Toronto’s skyline with its collection of new high-rise towers, and became home to over 20,000 residents. This community of Torontonians pioneering vertical living are not just young singles and “empty nesters,” but also families.
Recognizing a vital need for a missing social and educational nexus in Toronto’s booming downtown core, the new Canoe Landing Campus by ZAS Architects will house a 158,893-sf, $65 million community recreation center, public and Catholic elementary schools, and a childcare center within one campus.
Serving an important social function, the campus architecture supports a new platform for connection. In a vertical, urban community where neighbors often experience solitary lifestyles, this interaction is vital. Conceived as a social condenser, the building program was developed through multiple community meetings attended by hundreds of residents.
From the first public meeting packed with strollers and young families, it was clear this community had very unique needs resulting from a wide demographic range, the realities of living with less square footage, and the pressures on existing public space as the population grew with each new tower constructed. Faced with the challenges presented, ZAS Architects created an original architectural form that leveraged the synergies of co-locating the schools, community center, and childcare to reduce the building footprint and maximize open space.
The new campus provides an opportunity for shared community spaces, from gardening plots to basketball courts on the roof, spaces for indoor and outdoor play, a community kitchen for canning parties and cooking classes, and a gracious lobby space for neighbors to meet.
Community input generated innovative spaces such as indoor play areas geared to enhancing children’s motor skills and the creation of multipurpose rooms that adapt to both active and passive uses.
The two schools share indoor play spaces, a learning commons, gymnasium, and educational areas. The outdoor park and community rooms are accessible by all. A flexible design solution features two- and three-story buildings that anchor the east side of the park. C-shaped planning maximizes solar access while sheltering play areas from the adjacent expressway.
Bisected by a pedestrian corridor, the building connects through an elevated bridge forming an east-west gateway. One side of this link contains the community centre, with gymnasium and fitness center.
Sustainability and resiliency are prominently integrated, including maximizing green roof opportunities and an introduction of photovoltaic panels to generate 10% renewable energy to meet the highest level of the City of Toronto Green Standards. Above, the building features a dynamic, “active” green roof, complete with a basketball court, jogging track, and urban gardens.
The clients on the project are the City of Toronto & Childrens Services, Toronto District School Board, and Toronto Catholic District School Board.
Related Stories
Adaptive Reuse | May 15, 2024
Modular adaptive reuse of parking structure grants future flexibility
The shift away from excessive parking requirements aligns with a broader movement, encouraging development of more sustainable and affordable housing.
Affordable Housing | May 14, 2024
Brooklyn's colorful new affordable housing project includes retail, public spaces
A new affordable housing development located in the fastest growing section of Brooklyn, N.Y., where over half the population lives below the poverty line, transformed a long vacant lot into a community asset. The Van Sinderen Plaza project consists of a newly constructed pair of seven-story buildings totaling 193,665 sf, including 130 affordable units.
MFPRO+ News | May 13, 2024
Special multifamily report indicates ‘two supply scenarios’
Could we be headed towards a “period of stagflation?” That's the question Andrew Semmes, Senior Research Analyst, poses in the Matrix May 2024 Multifamily Rent Forecast update.
MFPRO+ News | May 10, 2024
HUD strengthens flood protection rules for new and rebuilt residential buildings
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued more stringent flood protection requirements for new and rebuilt homes that are developed with, or financed with, federal funds. The rule strengthens standards by increasing elevations and flood-proofing requirements of new properties in areas at risk of flooding.
Adaptive Reuse | May 9, 2024
Hotels now account for over one-third of adaptive reuse projects
For the first time ever, hotel to apartment conversion projects have overtaken office-to-residential conversions.
Mass Timber | May 8, 2024
Portland's Timberview VIII mass timber multifamily development will offer more than 100 affordable units
An eight-story, 72,000-sf mass timber apartment building in Portland, Ore., topped out this winter and will soon offer over 100 affordable units. The structure is the tallest affordable housing mass timber building and the first Type IV-C affordable housing building in the city.
MFPRO+ News | May 1, 2024
On the Domino Sugar refinery site, new Brooklyn condominiums offer views of the Manhattan skyline
In Brooklyn, New York’s Williamsburg neighborhood, the new One Domino Square is the first condominium development and the third ground-up residential building on the site of the Domino Sugar refinery. The 700,000-sf project is adjacent to Domino Square and anchors a new 11-acre public park.
MFPRO+ News | Apr 29, 2024
World’s largest 3D printer could create entire neighborhoods
The University of Maine recently unveiled the world’s largest 3D printer said to be able to create entire neighborhoods. The machine is four times larger than a preceding model that was first tested in 2019. The older model was used to create a 600 sf single-family home made of recyclable wood fiber and bio-resin materials.
Senior Living Design | Apr 24, 2024
Nation's largest Passive House senior living facility completed in Portland, Ore.
Construction of Parkview, a high-rise expansion of a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) in Portland, Ore., completed recently. The senior living facility is touted as the largest Passive House structure on the West Coast, and the largest Passive House senior living building in the country.
ProConnect Events | Apr 23, 2024
5 more ProConnect events scheduled for 2024, including all-new 'AEC Giants'
SGC Horizon present 7 ProConnect events in 2024.