Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/124234
Photos, clockwise from right: Malton Community Centre Pool Additions, Mississauga, ON; Chinguacousy Park Renewal, Brampton, ON; Clarkson Community Centre Pool Addition, Mississauga, ON. Shai Gill Pavilions in the Park p78-81 Pavillion in the Park.indd 81 Shai Gill undertaking. Still, substantial completion was reached in August 2012, not quite two years after construction started in September 2010, says project manager Sean Farzaneh. He credits "good teamwork with the client" as the reason. In the fast-booming cities of Brampton and Mississauga contractors were equally pressed to bring three MJMA projects in on schedule. So were the architects and consultants, as all three were designed and built simultaneously in fast-track schedule to meet the strict deadlines of the federal government's Infrastructure Stimulus Fund, says Jaunkalns. In Mississauga, two swimming pools were built at existing community centres in different sections of the city by general contractor PCL Constructors Canada. Construction at the Malton and Clarkson Community Centres started at the end of March 2010 and were substantially completed by June 30, 2011. "We had two separate crews and trades on each of the projects," says PCL project manager Adrian Wong. As with all MJMA's buildings, the pools have a large amount of glazing. At the same time, there are skylights at the opposite end to create balanced lighting. Shai Gill Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre is "a social condenser for the surrounding underserved communities," says the architect. At the other end of the country, in an area east of Toronto, the Regent Park Aquatic Centre is performing a similar role. Constructed on a site once occupied by apartment buildings and a small outdoor pool, the multi-purpose facility is one piece of a multi-year revitalization of Regent Park by Toronto Community Housing and the Daniels Corporation. Distinguished by a massive cedarpanelled roof bisected lengthwise by a 'dorsal fin' of aquatics hall skylights, this two-storey glass, wood, and zinc structure anchors a six-acre central park and is intended to function as the park pavilion. In its approach to the project, MJMA wanted to recreate some of the atmosphere of the old pool, by making it as accessible and transparent as possible. That has been achieved with features such as sliding glass doors off the main pool hall. They provide access to the parkside terrace, says MJMA's David Miller. In a major departure from other pools, the Regent Park Aquatic Centre is one of the first facilities in Canada to adopt the singular use of universal change rooms. "There are no fussy details, but there is high-quality material including prime architectural block," says Miller. "In the development of the design, if you respect the people who are going to use the facility, in turn they'll respect it." Judging by the observations of City of Toronto senior project coordinator Doug Giles, that approach has paid dividends. Since opening in the fall of 2012, the centre has been very well received and has become a destination facility. Helping to knit the community back into the larger city fabric was one of the key goals of the revitalization. For general contractor The Atlas Corporation, building the complex structure with its curtain wall system and other diverse materials, was a challenging "You don't want a situation where there is too much light on one side and too dark on the other side," says Jaunkalns, explaining such an imbalance can lead to a dangerous situation where lifeguards might not be able to spot a swimmer in trouble. At Clarkson, the new pool extends the existing facility out towards the main street, creating an increased presence and identity. An entirely different scenario was at play at the Malton facility. Adding the pool meant the additional parking space had to be partially built into an adjacent green space corridor, which is a major amenity. However, this "unfavourable proposition" was turned into an asset with the reshaping of the parkland into a naturalized meadow, thereby maintaining flood capacity and enhancing the park's biological diversity, says project architect Chris Burbidge. A key player in this solution was PMA Landscape Architects Ltd (also the landscape architects at Clarkson). Stormwater runoff from the parking lot is captured in a bioswale, cleansed, and returned to the water table through an infiltration trench, says principal Jim Melvin. "MJMA provided the City of Mississauga with a modern yet elegant design that brings natural light and life to various recreational amenities in the buildings," says Raj Sheth, property management director. However, he adds that the true measure of the design and construction of any building isn't just how it looks on opening day. "We challenged MJMA to design a building that not only looks good at the grand opening but also in five years when the materials and finishes are subjected to yearly wear and tear. I am happy to say it has succeeded in meeting this challenge," comments Sheth. A few kilometres to the north in Brampton, residents are benefiting from the renewal of Chinguacousy Park, a 40-acre civic landmark with a tennis/curling club and a man-made ski hill, to cite just some of its attractions. With the assistance of its consultants and general contractor Gateman-Milloy Inc., the architects have unobtrusively introduced a new chalet/clubhouse for the ski hill, an outdoor volleyball complex, a BMX park, integrated a new boat pavilion into an existing water course, plus renovated and added a 14,500-square-foot addition to the tennis/curling club. The new facilities are connected by a pathway system that re-organizes circulation, and provides clear orientation. The park environment is enhanced by high-quality landscaping and lighting. To ensure a harmonious and high-quality experience for visitors, the new facilities have been designed using a consistent vocabulary of forms and natural materials. While each building has a distinct identity, it is compatible with the other park structures, projecting a unified development. "The facilities are a core group of structures within the larger park system designed to modernize the park, develop a consistency in the architecture and to link the program areas," says Miller Integrating the three new buildings and the associated facilities without disrupting the ongoing uses of the existing park was a significant challenge, requiring careful coordination of design elements by the consulting team, says Bryn Barron, senior landscape architect with Strybos Barron King Ltd., the landscape consultants. Of particular importance was the siting of the new ski chalet, which was tucked into the bottom of an existing ski slope, and the new boathouse pavilion that traverses the slope of the pond, says Barron. One of the firms that worked on both the Mississauga pools and the Chinguacousy Park projects was mechanical and engineering consultant Smith + Andersen. Brad Bull, a principal with the firm, suggests its design "meshes" with MJMA's vision. "What matters in sports isn't just talent and potential, its performance on the field of play and the same holds true for the design of sports facilities," says Bull. "Designs must be flexible to accommodate several other client program uses such as concerts, trade shows, conventions and other sport activities in areas not specifically designed as such." n april 2013 /81 13-04-05 2:22 PM