Innisfil Recreation Complex
Innisfil, Ontario
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Aquatic Centre, Twin-Pad Arena (1000 Spectator Seats), Indoor Track, Gymnasium, Fitness, Multipurpose Rooms, Child Minding, Outdoor Sports Courts, Sports Fields, Multi-Use Trails
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Structural: Blackwell
Mechanical / Electrical: LKM
Civil: MJS
Landscape: PMA -
2009 Athletic Business: Facilities of Merit Design Award
2009 Recreation Management: Innovative Architecture & Design Award
Centrally situated within a rural 285 km2 area in southeastern Ontario, the Innisfil Recreation Complex (IRC) consolidates its sprawling community with programming that combines offerings from the Simcoe Muskoka YMCA and the Town of Innisfil Recreation department. The building’s hues of yellow, red, green, and orange — iconic colours of both sport and the harvest — add graphic punch and animate its primary spaces. MJMA also master planned the 85-acre site to include an array of active and passive outdoor recreational amenities that complement the interior programs.
The YMCA exceeded its membership target by 500% in its first year of operation, and the facility and park have become the most important civic spaces in the Township for events, trade shows, and performances. The IRC was also the first complex with aquatics in Canada to achieve LEED Gold: among its many sustainable measures, the mix of program types allows the reuse of waste heat generated by the arenas and dehumidification systems to be captured and shared with other parts of the building.
The IRC participates in the typical rural vista that has agricultural buildings set back from the road by fields and pastures: here the clean lawns of the soccer fields are placed adjacent to the road, providing a foreground for the building’s simple sculptural forms.
The Town wanted an iconic community landmark. The gently angled walls have curtain wall with ample at-grade glazing set behind deep overhangs on all four elevations.
The Town also prioritized maximizing program within the budget. The planning has a central lobby-circulation spine and single control point, allowing for efficient staffing; but the lobby is also the facility’s ‘social heart’, providing direct access and generous views into all primary program spaces and creating a cohesive community complex.
