Township Wide Recreation Centre
King City, Ontario
Client : Township of King
Area : 124,000 sf
Program : Twin-Pad Arena (Spectator Seating, Warm Viewing Area, Changerooms), Aquatic Centre (6-Lane Lap Pool, Leisure Pool, Universal Changerooms), Multi-Purpose Community Room, field house with artificial turf soccer pitch, basketball court, running track, and fitness centre, open-air courtyard
In the township of King, Ontario—where pockets of exurban bedroom communities and small towns break up expanses of agricultural fields—the future Township Wide Recreation Complex will occupy the southeast corner of the Seneca College King Campus, a site of great natural beauty on the Oak Ridges Moraine. The result of an agreement between King Township and Seneca College, the Complex will provide new and long-awaited amenities not only to the campus, but to the entire rapidly growing community of King.
The Complex’s primary amenities are an NHL-sized ice rink with spectator seating and an aquatics centre with a four-lane lap pool and a kids and leisure pool; these are supported by universal change rooms and a lobby with a warm viewing area, as well as community multipurpose rooms. Exterior amenities will include a multi-use field with a dome, a running track, and a terrace with a view overlooking the river that feeds Lake Seneca at the north end of the campus.
The Complex is designed with future Net Zero carbon capability in mind, prioritizing spaces that are conducive to its occupants’ comfort and social lives. This objective is bolstered by a strong energy performance campaign built on the use of ample natural lighting and a series of different building components that work together to form an integrated thermal energy network. This overarching strategy incorporates a host of sustainable systems and opportunities for future retrofitting: a push–pull ventilation system in the aquatics hall, heat recovery, radiant heating, and high thermal performance throughout the building envelope (including Low-E glazing and below-grade insulation), as well as natural ventilation, a geothermal strategy, and an exterior shade structure topped by photovoltaic panels.
Views and transparency between the interior programs are designed to foster exploration and use, while the Complex’s strong connections to the outdoors will encourage users to get outside and take advantage of the site’s natural beauty. When complete, the Complex will deliver not only state-of-the-art amenities but also a social attractor inherently flexible and accommodating enough to function as a true community hub, benefitting all the township’s diverse inhabitants.