Toronto Lawrence Heights Community Recreation Centre | 23.47m | 4s | City of Toronto | CS&P

[AlbertC]

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Toronto Unveils $25M Federal Boost for Lawrence Heights Community Hub & Child Care Centre​

The Government of Canada and City of Toronto announce a $25M contribution to the Lawrence Heights Community Centre, marking a milestone in urban renewal.

01 Mar 2024 10:29 EST

Marking a significant milestone in urban renewal, the Government of Canada and the City of Toronto announced a $25 million federal contribution towards the construction of the Lawrence Heights Community Recreation & Child Care Centre. This new facility, a cornerstone of the Lawrence Heights Revitalization project, aims to serve over 48,000 residents with modern, inclusive amenities and a commitment to net-zero emissions. The project's total investment surpasses $150 million, reflecting a strong partnership between federal and municipal governments to foster community wellness and sustainability.

The proposed facility is not just a community centre but a beacon of modern design and sustainability. Envisioned amenities include a six-lane, 25-metre pool, a double gymnasium, fitness studios, and spaces dedicated to social services and Indigenous Placekeeping. The child care centre, designed to accommodate 88 children across various age groups, will feature a kitchen, laundry room, and universal washrooms, among other facilities. Targeting Net Zero emissions, the centre aligns with Toronto's ambitions to become a carbon-neutral city, contributing to Canada's broader net-zero objectives by 2050.

 

[Northern Light]

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Toronto Unveils $25M Federal Boost for Lawrence Heights Community Hub & Child Care Centre​

The Government of Canada and City of Toronto announce a $25M contribution to the Lawrence Heights Community Centre, marking a milestone in urban renewal.

01 Mar 2024 10:29 EST

Marking a significant milestone in urban renewal, the Government of Canada and the City of Toronto announced a $25 million federal contribution towards the construction of the Lawrence Heights Community Recreation & Child Care Centre. This new facility, a cornerstone of the Lawrence Heights Revitalization project, aims to serve over 48,000 residents with modern, inclusive amenities and a commitment to net-zero emissions. The project's total investment surpasses $150 million, reflecting a strong partnership between federal and municipal governments to foster community wellness and sustainability.

The proposed facility is not just a community centre but a beacon of modern design and sustainability. Envisioned amenities include a six-lane, 25-metre pool, a double gymnasium, fitness studios, and spaces dedicated to social services and Indigenous Placekeeping. The child care centre, designed to accommodate 88 children across various age groups, will feature a kitchen, laundry room, and universal washrooms, among other facilities. Targeting Net Zero emissions, the centre aligns with Toronto's ambitions to become a carbon-neutral city, contributing to Canada's broader net-zero objectives by 2050.

The above will be heading to the Design Review Panel on Wednesday.

I don't know if @Paclo will want to give the above its own thread, but we do have the architect listed here now.

 

[DavidCapizzano]

Where is the proposed building to be located?

 

[Northern Light]

From the presentation to DRP:

(City Team)

@DavidCapizzano your answer is below:

Proponent Team:

* for the above, note that the full plan rolls out, the school is to relocated elsewhere within the community and the current school footprint is to become a park.

There is a nominal 4th floor in the plan as well, but its mostly mech. except for supporting the running track that will be above the gym.

I will add panel comments when I get a chance.

 

[Northern Light]

Have to go a second post for all the images:

Have to say, love the gym, below:

Phew, that's it for slides.

@Paclo is flagged in case there is a desire to break this project off as its own thread.

 

[rdaner]

Great post! Thanks as always! I wonder if the two Multi-purpose rooms on the main floor have high enough ceilings to act as a theatre?

 

[Northern Light]

Panel Comments:

- The concrete on the lower exterior level is meant to emulate stone, doesn't work as well as it might, too smooth, needs a rougher texture to make it feel more like real stone. *

- Concern about the challenge of the south side expression (school side) because the school is temporary in the longer term.

- Feeling that the south-east entrance is maybe a bit too understated. *

- Bus turnaround is too much, and surface parking for staff is questionable. *

- If the parking is needed (accessible etc.) could it be maximally greened w/storm water infiltration - swales etc.

- More bike parking required.

- Awkward visual relationship between the 'stone' and the 'wood' of the lower and upper levels. Improved transition desirable.

- Too much glazing at grade, it's a bit relentless

Items with * were brought up by multiple panelists.

****

Overall panelists liked the proposal but for the comments above.

 

[AlbertC]

New Lawrence Heights community centre designed to reflect the land it will sit on - Daily Commercial News

A new Lawrence Heights Community Recreation Centre (CRC) in Toronto will reflect the history, character and archeology of the site. Designed by CS&P Architects and Two Row Architect for the City of Toronto, the centre is a four-storey, 80,000-square-

canada.constructconnect.com

“Building up to our design, what we looked at was…making sure the building relates to the street, helps to animate the street,” said Giuricich. “One of the challenges of the site is working with that existing school, which in the future will maybe be relocated. So we wanted to locate the building to the north to provide a green buffer for the interim and then in the future phase where there is a park, the centre is then able to relate to that future greenspace.”

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“The site is fairly tight for this size of building…but we wanted to maximize it as much as possible,” Giuricich explained, adding in addition to the 1950s development of low-rise housing, it also includes the Allan Expressway which divides the site. “We see the (city’s) master plan as making an attempt to try to reconnect the site, create more densification, more clearly defined greenspace and sort of healing the site in a way and our building is tying into that as well.”

In terms of sustainability, the mass timber building is expected to be a net-zero carbon building, meet Toronto Green Standards Version 4. It will also include PV panels, geothermal, a compact building shape, a reduced amount of glazing and a high-performance envelope.

The project is currently in the design development phase and the team is looking to lock down its design in order to move it forward to detailed drawing development which then gets tendered out to contractors.

Construction is expected to begin in 2026.

 

[PMT]

2 A FLEMINGTON RD​

Application Details

www.toronto.ca

Site Plan Control Application proposes a new Community Recreation Centre and Child Care Centre as part of the Toronto Community Housing Lawrence Heights Revitalization project.

 

[PMT]

 

[AlexBozikovic]

There are things to like in the architecture, but the site plan is pretty grim. This is a huge expanse of public land and yet… the playground gets the noise and pollution of a highway. And despite efforts to reduce the amount of parking, the plan is totally compromised by it.

Meanwhile, right next door, the school has an absolutely enormous parking lot.

If the centre had drop off on the street and no parking, the public realm would be much better.

 

[Northern Light]

There are things to like in the architecture, but the site plan is pretty grim. This is a huge expanse of public land and yet… the playground gets the noise and pollution of a highway. And despite efforts to reduce the amount of parking, the plan is totally compromised by it.

I agree this is an issue. However, at least some parking is likely if only for accessibility, and if you cut the lot area by 1/2, I'm not sure it improves the layout..... I have a thought though....

Meanwhile, right next door, the school has an absolutely enormous parking lot.

Indeed. As an interim condition, it should be feasible for the CRC and the school to have a shared lot of some description, though doubtless the TDSB would be a pain about that idea.....

But there is another problem.........the school is only there temporarily, the intention is to convert the school site to a park. Do we really want the long-term parking to be there in that scenario?

If the centre had drop off on the street and no parking, the public realm would be much better.

As noted, I'm not convinced on getting the facility to zero parking, though I'd strongly support zero free parking.

But.... I have a different thought.......which we're not going to get at this point....but......

What if the CRC had more parking? Bare with me.

What if the CRC had one level of underground, paid parking.......which could immediately take over as the school parking, even while the existing school remains......

Then, the City can immediately take possession of the TDSB parking lot upon the CRC opening, and convert that portion to a park.

Its an expensive solution; but if charging for the parking, even for 5 to 10 years pending the school's relocation were able to recover the cost?

Just a thought.

 

[AlexBozikovic]

The school is going to be replaced with a new building. Really these two projects should have been integrated.

But as it is, the public playground is now at the far end of the site, surrounded by two parking lots on the edge of the highway. Extremely suboptimal.

Lawrence Heights is 100 acres of public land and the new, extremely expensive, public facility has ended up on a marginal site.

 

[Northern Light]

The school is going to be replaced with a new building.

Is it confirmed that the new TDSB building here will be on the current site?

Really these two projects should have been integrated.

Agree.

Looking at the Secondary Plan it identifies the projects as being integrated.

But as it is, the public playground is now at the far end of the site, surrounded by two parking lots on the edge of the highway. Extremely suboptimal.

Agree.

Lawrence Heights is 100 acres of public land and the new, extremely expensive, public facility has ended up on a marginal site.

Don't disagree, but I would have laid out the 'new' Lawrence Heights completely differently. I also think we really should have finished resolving the Allen question as part of this........ (I support complete removal south of Yorkdale, and back fill), but regardless, there are changes that could be made to reduce the impact of it here, and that should have been conceptually integrated. I would have also liked to see Lawrence Square included, Marlee extended to Ranee, and the community pushed out into the Lawrence Manor community to the east.