Donald M. Gordon Chinguacousy Park Renewal
Brampton, Ontario
Client : City of Brampton
Area : Building: 36,800 sf Site: 100 Acres
Program : Ski Chalet, Paddle Boat Pavilion, Curling Rink, Meeting Rooms, Café, Administrative and Support Spaces, Outdoor Program (Beach Volleyball Courts,Tennis Courts, Sports Field, Skateboard and BMX Park, Playground, Splash Pad)
Within a large urban green space designated for recreation in Brampton, Ontario, MJMA has contributed three key components to the Donald M. Gordon Chinguacousy Park’s renewal goals: a new Chalet and Clubhouse, a new Park Amenity and Boat Pavilion, and a renovation of and addition to the Tennis and Curling Club, the last of which adapted and reused an existing curling rink.
The most prominent of these new structures is the Chalet and Clubhouse, which serves not only the adjacent ski hill but also a complex of outdoor volleyball courts, a skate park and a BMX park. Across the park, on the southern edge of a small reservoir, the Park Amenity and Boat Pavilion adds a new recreational program to an underserved area of the park, and also supports a nearby playground and picnic area.
This core group of structures modernizes the park using a consistent architectural language with a clean, approachable demeanour, tying together the key programmatic areas of the park and promoting year-round use for a range of recreational activities. These structures are further unified by a consistent palette of materials and forms, notably wraparound terraces that overlook the park while controlling heat gain—slab-like volumes that shelter shaded deck areas clad in black metal panels and lined with natural wood—and linked together by new landscape interventions and a pedestrian pathway system.
These structures also share a host of sustainability measures, including the use of extensive daylighting to reduce energy consumption, recyclable materials both inside and out, high-efficiency mechanical and electrical systems, energy management controls, reflective roofing systems, and water retention within the park and watercourse.
Though long in use, the Park still holds many opportunities for future development; by presenting its trio of structures with a clearly articulated visual language and toolkit of sustainability solutions, MJMA has also provided a practical guide that will inform the development of new park facilities and programs in the future.