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 | Sep 25, 2015
Italian soccer stadium designed to look like translucent waves
Architect Massimo Guidotti created a sinuous design for the stadium, which can support up to 16,000 seats.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Sep 21, 2015
Tokyo Olympic Stadium saga ends for Zaha Hadid
After resubmitting a bid, the firm will not design the main venue for the 2020 Olympics after all.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Sep 2, 2015
Proposed stadium for NFL's St. Louis Rams offers more than just football
The stadium's newest features have been unveiled by HOK, which could give the Rams one of the most inventive homes in the league—if it gets built.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Aug 24, 2015
Green Bay Packers to start construction on a business district near Lambeau Field this fall
Flush with cash, the NFL team is kicking in about half of the $130 million for the 20-acre project’s first phase.
Industrial Facilities | Aug 18, 2015
BIG crowdfunds steam ring prototype for Amager Bakke power plant project
The unusual power plant/ski slope project in Copenhagen will feature a smokestack that will release a ring-shaped puff for every ton of CO2 emitted.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Aug 5, 2015
The world’s longest ski slope will be built in one of the world’s hottest cities
The words “skiing” and “desert” aren’t often used in the same sentence. But that’s changing in Dubai, which appears to be on a mission to have the “biggest” of everything.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Jul 31, 2015
Zaha Hadid responds to Tokyo Olympic Stadium controversy
“Our warning was not heeded that selecting contractors too early in a heated construction market and without sufficient competition would lead to an overly high estimate of the cost of construction,” said Zaha Hadid in a statement.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Jul 29, 2015
Milwaukee Bucks arena deal approved by Wisconsin state assembly
Created by Milwaukee firm Eppstein Uhen Architects and global firm Populous, the venue will be built in downtown Milwaukee. Its design draws inspiration from both Lake Michigan, which borders Milwaukee, and from aspects of basketball, like high-arcing free throws.
University Buildings | Jul 28, 2015
OMA designs terraced sports center for UK's Brighton College
Designs for what will be the biggest construction project in the school’s 170-year history feature a rectangular building at the edge of the school’s playing field. A running track is planned for the building’s roof, while sports facilities will be kept underneath.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Jul 23, 2015
McKinney, Texas, dives into huge pool-and-fitness center project
Money magazine is the latest publication to rank McKinney, Texas, as the best place to live in the U.S. The city is trying to capitalize its newfound status to attract more residents and businesses, with amenities like this new recreation center.