Malton Community Centre Expansion
Mississauga, Ontario
Client : City of Mississauga
Area : 14,200 sf
Program : Aquatic Centre (4-Lane 25m Lap Pool, Leisure Pool, Changerooms), Multi-Purpose Community Rooms, Administrative and Support Spaces, Outdoor Program (Splash Pad)
This extension to an existing community centre in Mississauga, Ontario, is part of the City’s plans to promote community and personal wellness while further advancing the City’s identity as a leader in sustainable urban living. It was delivered on an accelerated schedule to meet a stimulus funding deadline.
To the existing community centre, whose primary program was a library branch, MJMA added a 14,200-square-foot pool extension to the southern or rear side of the building. In this position, it faces onto a park and exterior splash pad and, beyond that, the Malton Greenway, a densely forested river corridor and important local watershed. By naturalizing this meadow, MJMA was able to increase the building’s footprint, add roughly 90 additional parking spaces, provide better access to the parkland, and promote local biodiversity—all without disrupting existing pedestrian routes or increasing post-development flows on the site. Stormwater is now captured by bioswales, cleansed and returned to the water table via an infiltration trench.
Projecting outward from the existing building allows the extension to incorporate large expanses of glazing, strategically placed to communicate the pool zone’s functions to the exterior and admit natural light. The latter is just one of a host of sustainability measures built into the extension, along with CFC- and HCFC-free HVAC, pool area heat recovery, low-flow fixtures, and rooftop stormwater collection, which is used for greywater toilet flushing and irrigation.
From the parkland and splash pad, a new entryway—including a large cantilevered canopy and a wide public stairway and ramp—leads into a lobby aligned to the existing building’s internal “street.” From here, visitors can access all the centre’s amenities, including the upgraded library, as well as the new fitness and aquatic centre comprising a 25-metre lap pool and leisure pool, change rooms, administration and lifeguard rooms, a 1,600-square-foot fitness studio, a gymnasium, and sports courts. Since its opening, the Centre has been exceedingly popular, with the pool frequently reaching full capacity, and has helped build community ties and ease social friction within its inner-suburb neighbourhood.