Sherwood Community Centre and Library

The Sherwood Community Centre and Milton Public Library Branch is a community hub offering an array of recreational and cultural programs for the Town of Milton, 80km west of Toronto. It is a ‘gateway’, situated at the entrance of the principal Main Street, with the historic town centre and a developing residential area to the east; but the facility’s design is also connected to protected rural areas and the UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve Niagara Escarpment directly to the west.  

The building occupies a single level and has standard structural steel heights and spans. This gives it a simple, sculptural massing that allowed the construction budget to incorporate elegant finishes and a garden courtyard as the primary exterior public space at the main entrance. To mitigate the overall bulk of the complex, the arenas are set one meter below adjacent programs at grade. Abundant daylighting and the use of natural materials throughout the interior enliven its primary spaces. The development of the site has been phased to include park amenities, including trails connecting into existing routes.