For community
Southwest Middlesex Recreation Centre
The addition and renovations to the existing Glencoe Memorial Arena included a complete upgrade to the existing facility, from the new accessible entrance pavilion to the upgrade of all public and service spaces within the building. The new entrance pavilion opens the entrance of the building, providing natural light into the lobby, as well as an integrated accessible entrance from the exterior to the new elevator that provides access to the second floor. Intended as a light filled beacon, the entrance addition clearly identifies the new entrance to the building, providing an easily accessed route to the interior of the building and the new heated viewing area. Within the existing building, the existing change rooms were provided with new finishes and fixtures and modified to provide an accessible washroom. Similarly, all public washrooms were upgraded, and the existing space reconfigured to provide a new Universal Washroom. Existing gathering spaces, including the Board Room and the Auditorium, complete with a full commercial kitchen, were upgraded to provide modern activity and meeting spaces. The project also involved the provision of a new rink slab and refrigeration system, as well as a new fire protection system, ventilation and life safety systems throughout. The completion of the project injected an aging facility with new life, providing up-to-date facilities and a warm and engaging environment for all users of the facility.
Oak Creek Public School/Huron Community Centre/Early ON/Rising Oaks Child Care Centre
This new multi-use facility is located in southwest Kitchener and is a collaboration between the Waterloo Region District School Board, the City of Kitchener, the YMCA, and Rising Oaks Child Care. Within the new building, a 613 pupil Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8 Elementary School, Community Centre, EarlyON Centre and 88 space Child Care Centre will come together to create a new hub for the community. With a strong architectural presence on Tartan Avenue, the building responds to the sloping street line by integrating hard and soft surface landscaping to maintain pedestrian circulation across the site. Strategically designed with a linear pattern of coloured curtain wall in contrasting colours for the School, Community Centre/Early ON Centre and Child Care Centre to support wayfinding for visitors, the three main building entrances are clearly identified. The site was organized with two separate parking areas on each side of the building to optimize traffic flow as well as clear walking pathways linking Tartan Avenue to the exterior amenities at the north side of the site. The shared entrance for the Community Centre and Early ON Centre at the west end of the site opens into a 1.5 storey atrium space which physically and visually links the reception desks, multipurpose program spaces, gymnasium access and shared gender neutral washrooms creating a welcoming collaborative space for both facilities. The two storey 81,537 sf school consists of 5 kindergarten classrooms on the ground floor and 16 classrooms on the second floor with adjacent break out pods for group collaboration. The school also contains an alternate Ed room, art room, science room, music room, a double height library with circulation to the second floor, a triple gymnasium shared with the community centre, and various administration spaces for staff.
The Grand Theatre
The Public and Artist Space Modernization project at the Grand Theatre re-imagined the front-of-house and back-of-house spaces in response to contemporary requirements for accessibility, inclusion, technology and functionality. The renovation, the first re-design in over 40 years, contemplated and delivered a vision of the Grand Theatre that responded to the theatre’s declared mandate of being “World Curious and London Proud.” “Front of House” renovations included a complete re-thinking of the functional spaces of the public experience, from the box office, to the location of bars throughout the stacked lobby spaces, and the design of gender inclusive washrooms on all levels. Each lobby was designed to provide a unique experience, to enable the theatre to “set the scene”, through the use of colour-tuned and completely adaptable lighting, colour, and local materials, and to allow for impromptu performances and presentations before and after performances. “Back of House” renovations included significant expansions to the wardrobe and prop shop spaces, as well as updated rehearsal halls, dressing rooms and a contemporary green room. Through the course of the project, the entire fly system was replaced, and safety equipment upgraded. The transformation of the Grand Theatre brings this historic facility into the twenty-first century, technically, visually, and socially.
Teen Challenge Farm Dining Building
The new dining pavilion at Teen Challenge Farm is located off Sharon Road on a rural site in south west London. The single storey 6,525 square foot building was carefully positioned on the west edge of the site to maximize views within building while maintaining a strong visual presence from Sharon Road. The building provides the male residents at the on-site rehabilitation program with a new dining facility to prepare and serve daily meals and gives the organization a new space to host a variety of events. The main program elements include a 2,800 square foot dining room, full service commercial kitchen with a walk-in fridge and freezer, entrance lounge and a receiving area. The internal programming is organized with the entrance and service rooms on the east side of the building and the dining room on the west to optimize views from the open dining space to the surrounding agricultural landscape. The dining room achieves both visual and physical connection with the landscape through full height perimeter glazing with two sets of double doors which open onto a landscaped exterior patio. A palette of natural yet durable materials of masonry, concrete and wood textures are used around the exterior of the building and carried through the interior space. The dining pavilion stands as a beacon within its rural landscape and provides both residents and visitors with a welcoming multi-functional space that brings people together, encourages gathering and supports the Teen Challenge community.
No. 11 Fire Station
The No. 11 Fire Station builds on the success of the No. 7 Fire Station to create a standard satellite station design for the City of London and London Fire Department. The No. 11 Fire Station replaces an existing facility at the end of its life-cycle which was not optimally located for response times within the growing community. The new station includes individual dormitories to accommodate up to 4 fire-fighters, one captain’s office, a common great room with training, kitchen and dining areas, a fitness room, and a two-bay drive-through apparatus bay. The building has been designed to accommodate dormitories for a second crew in the future as the population in the area increases. The program areas are organized into two wings on either side of the apparatus bay, minimizing the distance required to travel in response to an alarm and therefore improving internal response times out of the station. The apparatus bay has full-height glass walls and doors facing the street which allow the public to view the fire trucks when passing by. The sustainable design features include an adaptable floor plan designed for future growth, increased building envelope performance, LED lighting with daylight sensors, low VOC materials, drought tolerant landscaping and a bioswale to treat storm water run-off from the parking lot.
South London Community Centre
The South London Community Centre and Jalna Branch Library located at 1119 Jalna Blvd is a major social and recreational hub for the growing White Oaks Community. In 2005, the community centre went through its first major interior renovation project to create a more efficiently organized and functional facility. In 2013, a new addition was proposed to respond to the demand of the growing community, and provide permanent administrative and office space for Ontario Works at this location. The new addition is located directly west of the existing facility, facing White Oaks Park and surrounded by a recreational hub that connects the existing playgrounds, new interactive water feature, landscaped sitting areas and main entrance to the new addition. The addition is accessed through an interior courtyard, which exists as a one and a half storey high, sloped roof structure that emerges from the building and is visible from all angles around the park. With glazing on all four facades, the interior courtyard serves as a transparent mass that connects the old and the new, links the addition to the existing structure and provides visitors with an internal extension of the exterior public realm.
Middlesex Centre Wellness and Recreation Complex
The recently completed Middlesex Centre Wellness and Recreation Complex is located in Komoka, Ontario and consists of an arena, library, and fitness centre. Other programs included on site consist of a splashpad and future playground area. This project is seen as an opportunity to create a new heart and identity for the community of Komoka. Accommodating a wide variety of community interests from local hockey teams, figure skating clubs, badminton groups and varying social clubs, this centre serves as a recreational and social hub for the surrounding area.
Williamsburg Town Centre
Williamsburg Town Centre is a new community located on the west side of Kitchener Ontario, at the intersection of Fischer-Hallman and Westmount Roads. Designed according to the principles of The New Urbanism, the community provides amenities in the Town Commons and retail space along Main Street in the centre of the neighbourhood within walking distance of the residences. The character of the buildings emulates the vernacular architecture of small town Ontario.
