Pam McConnell Aquatic Centre
Toronto, Ontario
Built in the late 1940’s in downtown Toronto, Regent Park is Canada’s oldest and largest social housing project. The community has historically been viewed as a transitional neighbourhood for new immigrants, but due to social and physical planning ills, it has also seen a concentration of marginalized and low-income populations. The 12-year Regent Park Revitalization project was begun in 2005 with the aim of redeveloping the neighbourhood’s 69-acres into a vibrant mixed-use and mixed-income community.
Taking its place as a social nucleus for this rejuvenation, the 28,000 sf Aquatic Centre replaced an old outdoor pool and is situated in the development’s central park. With a design that is at once sculptural and civic — opening up invitingly towards the park and all visitors — the Aquatic Centre has set new standards for aquatics serving highly diverse communities, quickly becoming much loved by Regent Park residents and a city-wide destination.
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Structural: Blackwell
Mechanical: LKM Consulting
Electrical: LKM Consulting
Landscape: PMA Landscape
Park: The Planning Partnership
Civil: Dillon Consulting
Program
Aquatic Centre (6-Lane 25m Lap Pool, Leisure Pool, Spa Pool, Water Slide), Community Room, Aquatic Outdoor Terrace, Splash Pad, Adjacent Park and Playground
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2016 Governor General's Medal in Architecture
2016 Center for Active Design Awards, NY: Award of Excellence
2015 International Olympic Committee (IOC) / International Association for Sports and Leisure Facilities (IAKS): Award for Exemplary Sports and Leisure Facilities
2015 Architizer A+ Award: Architecture and Urban Transformation: Special Mention
2014 Azure Magazine AZ Awards: People's Choice Award
2013 Ontario Association of Architects (OAA): Design Excellence Award2013 Canadian Interiors Best of Canada Design Awards: Project of the Year
2013 Toronto Urban Design Awards: Public: Award of Excellence
2013 Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia: Medal in Architecture
2013 Athletic Business: Facility of Merit Design Award2013 Parks and Recreation Ontario (PRO): Award of Excellence in Design
The facility is the key civic amenity on the eastern flank of the development’s central park. Acknowledging the views from surrounding new high-rise towers, the building’s green roof was designed as a fifth elevation and integrated with the park.
The Aquatic Centre has been conceived as a ‘Pavilion in the Park’, highly open at the base and bisected lengthwise by a ‘dorsal fin’ of skylights over the aquatic hall.
Combining fitness, leisure, and therapeutic uses, the Aquatic Centre offers something for all community members.
The building is filled with natural light and is transparent to the outside throughout. This includes two large double sliding glass doors off the main pool for access to a park-side terrace.
The first aquatic facility in Canada to adopt the sole use of universal changerooms, no longer separating spaces by gender. The design also added a complete system of screening in the pools for those groups who desire privacy swims. These progressive measures not only contribute to gender and cultural equality but also enhance the openness, visibility, and safety through the entire complex.
