In less than two decades, Toronto’s Railway Lands district has transformed from an industrial waterfront railway yard into a city within a city, aptly named CityPlace. More than 20,000 people call CityPlace home. Most reside in a collection of residential and mixed-use towers. While the district’s vertical living lifestyle is geared for young singles and empty nesters, CityPlace has attracted a surprising number of families.
To meet the growing demand for education and social spaces in the area, the city announced plans for a 158,890-sf, $65 million community campus set among the rising towers. The new Canoe Landing Campus, designed by ZAS Architects, will house spaces for a recreation center, public and Catholic elementary schools, and a childcare center. The campus provides an opportunity for shared community spaces: gardening plots, rooftop basketball courts, spaces for indoor and outdoor play, a community kitchen for canning parties and cooking classes, and a grand lobby for neighbors to meet.
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 center, with a gymnasium and fitness center.
The clients on the project are the City of Toronto, Toronto Children’s Services, Toronto District School Board, and Toronto Catholic District School Board.
Related Stories
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Architecture Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Gensler, Perkins+Will, NBBJ top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest architecture firms in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
2014 Giants 300 Report
Building Design+Construction magazine's annual ranking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S.
| Jul 17, 2014
A harmful trade-off many U.S. green buildings make
The Urban Green Council addresses a concern that many "green" buildings in the U.S. have: poor insulation.
| Jul 11, 2014
$44.5 million Centennial Hall opens at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Centennial Hall houses the College of Education and Human Sciences and consolidates teacher education. It is the first new academic building on the UW-Eau Claire campus in more than 30 years.
| Jul 10, 2014
Berkeley Lab opens 'world's most comprehensive building efficiency simulator'
DOE’s new FLEXLAB is a first-of-its-kind simulator that lets users test energy-efficient building systems individually or as an integrated system, under real-world conditions.
| Jul 9, 2014
Harvard Business School to build large-scale conference center
Expected to open in 2018, the facility will combine the elements of a large-scale conference center, a performance space, and an intimate community forum. The new building will be designed by Boston-based William Rawn and Associates.
| Jul 7, 2014
7 emerging design trends in brick buildings
From wild architectural shapes to unique color blends and pattern arrangements, these projects demonstrate the design possibilities of brick.
| Jul 2, 2014
Emerging trends in commercial flooring
Rectangular tiles, digital graphic applications, the resurgence of terrazzo, and product transparency headline today’s commercial flooring trends.
| Jul 1, 2014
Winning design by 3XN converts modernist bathhouse to university library
Danish firm 3XN's design wins competition for a new educational facility for Mälardalen University in Sweden, which will house a library, communal spaces, and offices for 4,500 students and staff.
| Jun 23, 2014
Gehry's 'glass sail' cultural center for Foundation Louis Vuitton set to open in October
Comissioned by Bernard Arnault, American legendary architect Frank Gehry's newest structure in Paris for Foundation Louis Vuitton will house eleven galleries and an auditorium for performing arts.