Sherwood Community Centre and Library
Milton, Ontario
Client : Town of Milton
Area : 128,000 sf
Program : Aquatic Centre (4-Lane 25m Lap Pool, Leisure Pool, Changerooms), Twin-Pad Arena (Spectator Seating, Changerooms), Active Living Centre, Branch Library, Multi-Purpose Community Rooms, Social Lounge, Kitchen, Concession, Administrative and Support Spaces
The Sherwood recreation centre and library lies at the western outskirts of Milton—a rapidly expanding bedroom community west of Oakville, Ontario. Its site, facing a main road that serves a large suburban area to the east, is neighboured by a watershed and sports fields to the south, while to the west, only a few single-family residences separate the SCC from open fields. This places it in a location that is ideal for access to the park, nearby multi-use trails, cycling routes and sidewalks, and proximate enough to the central business district to serve as a public hub and amenity space for the entire town.
The SCC’s 128,000-square-foot program follows a roughly U-shaped plan, with the southwestern end of the structure turned over to two arenas for hockey and other indoor sports. These arenas are situated side by side, separated by a programmed corridor that leads into the heart of the structure, where the plan splits into two wings on either side of a courtyard garden. In the north wing is an aquatics centre with a 25-metre lap pool and leisure / physical therapy pool; it’s in these major programmatic spaces that many of the sustainability measures are concentrated, including demand control ventilation and heat recovery processes for the air-to-air, compressor, and dehumidification systems. Inside the east wing is a branch library with a new shelving scheme designed to help browsers find books more easily, as well as doors that open onto a sheltered reading garden.
These three primary programs converge on a large social space, which occupies the heart of the structure, connecting it to additional amenities including an activity lounge for older adults and an active living studio, a features large windows facing onto the exterior gardens. Within this social heart of the building is a centrally located multipurpose space that can be used as an extension to the library, a tournament room, a general purpose room, or an extension to the social space during large community-based events, as needed. Designed for flexibility and adaptability, the SCC will meet a multitude of requirements for the local residents and seniors community for years to come.