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J U N E 2 0 2 4 | 61 Brampton Courthouse Addition & Toronto Region Bail Centre P H OTO G R A P H Y BY RYA N F U N G/CO U RT E S Y P O M ER L E AU I N C .; I N F R A S T RU C T U R E O N TA R I O BRAMPTON COURTHOUSE ADDITION & TORONTO REGION BAIL CENTRE by ROBIN BRUNET A ccording to Infrastructure Ontario (IO), the A. Grenville and William Davis Courthouse in Brampton is the busiest court- house in the province; and to address growing courtroom pressure, a two- phase project to build an addition to the existing building was approved eight years ago. The first phase con- sisting of a six-floor addition plus partial fit-out was completed in 2020. Phase 2 involved the fit-out of floors three to six of the addition at Brampton, as well as the partial renovation of the existing court- house (level 1, 5, and 6), the adjacent Land Registry building. The Phase 2 project was bundled with the reno- vation at the Toronto Regional Bail facility at 2201 Finch Avenue West. "Following an extensive delivery options analysis process, IO rec- ommended that a bundled P3 DBF [design–build–finance] model was the most suitable approach for success- fully delivering these two facilities," says Abbas Mehdi, senior project manager at Infrastructure Ontario. The Land Registry building updates included the renovation of the ground floor to create pub- lic service counters and offices for the small claims courts. A security screening station was added along with administrative and amenity space. The Bail Centre work involved renovating existing courtrooms to add private telephone consultation rooms, the addition of new holding cells, and new consultation cubicles to address capacity issues, upgrading the existing consultation cubicles, and renovations of the intake court areas so they met current MAG standards. David Clusiau, vice president, design, at NORR, says of Phase 2's facilities, "In both cases the approach was to work in harmony with the existing complex, reinforcing the architectural expression as a dignified and welcoming public environment, while maintaining overall building continuity and aesthetic cohesion." Considerable stakeholder input was focussed on maximizing the efficiency of layouts, ensuring that spaces were functional and incorpo- rate accessibility. "At the Brampton Courthouse, the architectural expres- sion had been established by the original build and was reinterpreted and modernized in an earlier phase of the renovation/addition proj- ect," Clusiau says. "This approach was extended into Phase 2. Where areas were being completely redone, such as the public counters, a fresher and more contemporary approach and material palette was adopted." Mehdi says the primary goal of Brampton Courthouse Phase 2 was to improve the client experience, increase courtroom capacity, pro- vide modern technology, and refresh and expand administrative spaces: "The newly fit up courtrooms and administrative spaces reflect the architectural expression established in Phase 1 and included finishes and design components that reflect court- room decorum in accordance with provincial ministry standards." Clusiau describes the renovation of the Toronto Bail facility as "prag- matic and surgical interventions of a small scale, completed throughout the complex. Design clues were taken from the surrounding space to ensure that continuity was maintained." Clusiau goes on to note that the biggest challenge his company tack- led was meeting new accessibility standards in the existing buildings, "and to reach a satisfactory resolu- tion required a persistent exploration of alternatives as well as a negoti- ated process with the client as to what was achievable within the lim- itations of the existing building." LOCATION 7755 & 7765 Hurontario Street, Brampton, Ontario (Brampton Courthouse) 2201 Finch Avenue West (Toronto Regional Bail Centre) OWNER /DEVELOPER Infrastructure Ontario ARCHITECT/INTERIOR DESIGN NORR DESIGN BUILD FINANCE CONTR ACTOR Pomerleau Inc. STRUCTUR AL CONSULTANT Entuitive MECHANICAL /ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Smith + Andersen ACOUSTICAL CONSULTANT Thornton Tomasetti TOTAL SIZE 160,400 square feet TOTAL COST $82.3 million

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