Program:

A 1,539-square-foot pavilion housing restrooms, a planned café, and mechanical services for the park, including a UV storm-water-filtration system in the basement. Straddling a water channel that passes through the park, the structure marks the intersection of an ice rink and a playground to the north and an open green to the south. The pavilion completes an early stage in Toronto's transformation of its industrial waterfront, with plans calling for 6,000 residential units, 3 million square feet of commercial space,  and 13.6 acres of public open space to be built in the next 10 to 15 years.

Design concept and solution:

Rather than design the structure as a discrete pavilion with its own geometry, Teeple wanted it to take its shape from the surrounding elements of the park. Imagining the water channel that passes under the pavilion as a natural stream, the architects conceived the building as a monolithic block that has been carved out by water over time to yield a kind of cavernous archway. To suggest age, the architects clad the walls in preweathered gray zinc; in contrast, they chose shiny natural zinc for the underside of the pavilion, as if it were newly exposed and polished by erosion. The curve of the pavilion's north side mirrors the main path cutting through the park, while the south side of the building juts sharply to the east, opening onto the green and framing a view of Lake Ontario. The water channel doubles as a storm-water-filtration system, which allows the city to avoid sending the water offsite and helps put the project on track for LEED Gold certification.

Architect:
Teeple Architects Inc.
5 Camden St. Toronto, ON.
p: 416.598.0554
f: 416.598.1705
w: www.teeplearch.com

Location: Sherbourne Common, Toronto Waterfront, Ontario

Completion Date: April 2011

Gross square footage: 1,539 sq. ft.