Steve & Sally Stavro Family YMCA
Toronto, Ontario
Client : YMCA of Greater Toronto
Area : 56,339 sf
Program : Aquatics Centre, Gymnasium, Fitness Space, Multi-Use Studio, Multipurpose Rooms, Meeting Rooms.
Located in Toronto’s Beaches neighbourhood, the Steve and Sally Stavro Family YMCA replaces the much-loved East City YMCA, built in 1952. After consulting with the community, who wished the new larger facility to remain on the site, the YMCA formed a partnership with a local developer who consolidated the existing land with adjacent sites. The project puts the YMCA on the ground and lower levels of the new building, with four storeys of residential units above.
Offering programming that serves all groups within the diverse surrounding population, the YMCA’s identity as a nucleus for inclusive community life is embodied in the facility’s transparent design, which allows views between program spaces. It also shares its internal energy with the city through extensive glazing along Kingston Road and Beech Avenue. The facility’s fit-out meets LEED Platinum. The developer and the YMCA also agreed to share one another’s excess waste heat: at certain times of the year, each can supplement their systems from the other’s hot water and heat exchange.