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D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 1 | 53 Churchill Meadows Community Centre and Sports Park P H OTO G R A P H Y CO U RT E S Y AQ U I CO N CO N S T RU C T I O N LT D.; CO U RT SU R FAC E S P EC I A L I S T S CHURCHILL MEADOWS COMMUNITY CENTRE AND SPORTS PARK by NATALIE BRUCKNER W hen the long-awaited Churchill Meadows Community Centre and Sports Park opened its doors in September, the reaction by the people of Mississauga was truly remarkable... and understandably so. Not only is the 75,000-square-foot building combined with 55 acres of greenspace a truly beautiful addition to the Churchill Meadows community, but it goes a long way in meeting the health and well- being needs of every resident living in the City, today and into the future. Planning for the project – which is part of the City of Mississauga's Future Directions Master Planning process for recreation – began back in 2014, and after going through a compre- hensive public consultation process, multiple planning exercises, and an iterative design process, Aquicon began construction in 2018. While the project faced a number of rather unique challenges – from con- siderations that needed to be made due to the project's location on sensi- tive wetlands to material procurement delays as a result of COVID – the team (that included the City of Mississauga, MJMA Architects, and Aquicon Construction Ltd.) was able to per- fectly navigate each challenge to come up with innovative solutions. As one of the first blocks in the Ninth Line lands development (which will eventually see the development of the entire arterial road at the west- ern boundary of Mississauga), it was essential that the Centre and Park would set the tone for the area. "This project was a chance to showcase low-impact develop- ment, engaging and unique public spaces, and naturalized parkland and recreational amenities on a 'last frontier' location at the edge of the city," explains Chris Burbidge, prin- cipal, MJMA Architecture & Design (who adds that this was one of MJMA's founding partner David Miller's last projects prior to official retirement). A key design philosophy was to ensure the building and the landscape work in tandem as one entity – con- necting Mississaugans to nature and to heighten a sense of well-being. To do this, MJMA designed the build- ing to be oriented exactly on the north axis, which sets up the layout of the soc- cer fields and in turn benefits from this solar orientation. The park amenities have been located as close to the building as possible to maximize the social heart of the project and create visual connec- tions between the interior and exterior. Burbidge adds that the building's east and west facades are completely glazed and have deep overhangs so that the activity of the interior is seen on the approach. The building also provides covered walkways from Ninth Line at the north to the main soccer field at the south. On the west façade, the overhang is much deeper and formed by mass timber framing, creating a covered porch with a continuous bench to watch the activities in the playground and splashpad. To further enhance the connection to nature, a great deal of thought was given to the materials and colours. "The palette focuses on highlighting the wood elements used at the park- side porch, the main stair, and the east side soffit. The standing seam metal cladding creates a dynamic and sculptural façade that becomes a dominating feature along Ninth Line. The very light and transparent wood screen along the south side creates the framework for the metal screen used to diffuse the light coming into the facility and provides this translu- cent view into the facility," says Anna Cascioli, senior manager, Capital Design and Construction. The use of mass timber as the structural framing for the west half of the building is not only beauti- ful aesthetically but also reduces the overall embodied carbon footprint of the building. "The design team, led by project architect Tyler Walker and architect Obinna Ogunedo, managed to hang and fold the glulam members outward in a way that would form this covered porch and create a forest-like enclosure of the pool and gyms inside the building," says Burbidge. On passing through the lobby, you are struck by a grand staircase that the team all agree is truly a showcase of the building. Designed in conjunction with Blackwell Structural Engineers,