The 72,000-sf Toronto York Recreation Centre in Ontario, which opened officially on April 23, is situated at the intersection of three neighborhoods: Mount Dennis, Keelesdale, and Rockcliffe.
The centre, which is owned by the city of Toronto and operated by its Parks, Forestry, and Recreation department, is free to the public. And since April through early July 10,000 people had signed up for its various programs. “We see this centre as a catalyst for growth,” says Duff Balmer, OAA, NSAA, MRIAC, Design Principal for Perkins +Will Canada Architects, which designed the building.
The rec centre cost 27.147 million Canadian dollars (US$21.45 million) to build. It was one of the initiatives that sprang from Toronto Mayor David Miller’s Strong Neighborhoods Task Force. It includes a 25-meter, six-lane indoor pool, double gym, fitness studio, weight room, indoor track, kitchen, five multipurpose rooms, and universal change rooms.
Lots of natural light streams into the rec centre's double gymnasium. Image: Tom Arban Photography
P+W engaged in “extensive” community outreach during the design process, which to Balmer’s surprise attracted a lot of younger people. Those sessions led to the inclusion of the track, a viewing gallery for the pool, a dance studio, and a music room.
“We also heard a lot about the need for safety,” says Balmer, which translated into streaming more natural light into the spaces. (The gym is the most obvious manifestation of this.)
The site of this 72,000-sf facility is complicated by being on the banks of a ravine for the Black Creek River. The landscape architect was Fleisher Ridout Partnership. Image: Tom Arban Photography
Prior to the rec center, this site had been underutilized. It had a raggedy baseball diamond, and its access area had devolved into a dumping ground that needed to be remediated before construction could begin.
The site is located on the west bank of a ravine along the Black Creek River, and the building needed to be positioned outside of the river’s floodplain, which limited the amount of land it had to work with.
A 25-meter, six-lane pool is one of the rec centre's features. Image: Tom Arban Photography
On the positive side, a vehicular bridge built over the river connects the rec centre to Keelesdale Park. And the facility, which is about eight miles from downtown Toronto, will be located near a train station for the new Metrolinx Eglinton Crosstown light-rail line, which is currently under construction.
The rec center was substantially completed last December and had a soft opening on February 18. The project’s hard and soft costs totaled C$33.27 million. The Building Team included Bondfield Construction Company (GC), the city’s Capital Projects unit (project manager), and Fleisher Ridout Partnership (landscape architect).
Related Stories
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Oct 12, 2016
A wood-clad arena is rising in Copenhagen
The design of this 377,000-sf building makes concessions to the residential community that surrounds it.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Sep 26, 2016
Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park in Tampa to undergo Skanska-led $35.6 million reconstruction project
The park will serve as an urban oasis of outdoor activities for the surrounding area.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Sep 26, 2016
Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta will be the NFL’s first LEED Platinum stadium
The Atlanta Falcons new home is expected to save 40% in energy usage than a typical NFL stadium.
Sponsored | Reconstruction & Renovation | Sep 13, 2016
Daytona International Speedway becomes racing’s first modern stadium
Daytona International Speedway has undergone a $400 million full-scale makeover to update the facilities first built in 1959.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Sep 1, 2016
U.S. Open stadium’s new retractable roof showcases innovative problem solving in its design and engineering
Mushy ground and indoor condensation were just two of the issues this $150 million project presented to its Building Team.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Aug 29, 2016
Reconstruction of Hall of Fame football stadium in Ohio moving forward
The $80 million sports facility is among the features planned for a 90-acre mixed-use village.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Aug 22, 2016
The Hills of Governors Island reach completion one year ahead of schedule
The man made hills are the latest attraction to open on the island that has been under development since 2006.
| Aug 15, 2016
SPORTS FACILITY GIANTS: New and renovated college sports venues - designed to serve students and the community
Schools are renovating existing structures or building new sports facilities that can serve the student body and surrounding community.
| Aug 15, 2016
Top 30 Sports Facility Engineering Firms
AECOM, Thornton Tomasetti, and ME Engineers top Building Design+Construction’s annual ranking of the nation’s largest sports facility sector engineering and E/A firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.
| Aug 15, 2016
Top 60 Sports Facility Construction Firms
Mortenson Construction, AECOM, and Turner Construction Co. top Building Design+Construction’s annual ranking of the nation’s largest sports facility sector construction and construction management firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.