LAWRENCE HEIGHTS COMMUNITY RECREATION & CHILDCARE CENTRE

Two Row Architect is working in partnership with CS&P Architects on what is proposed to be one of Toronto’s biggest community centres yet. This 72,000-square-foot facility will include a pool, a double gymnasium, a community kitchen, a youth space, activity studios and rooms, active outdoor space, a social services office, 10,000-square-foot child care facility, and more. It is part of Toronto Community Housing Corporation’s Lawrence Heights Revitalization Project.

Following an archeological assessment of the site, the geological history of the Toronto area became a major source of inspiration for the building’s form. The first floor represents a solid foundation, like the tablelands between the Don and Humber watersheds that Toronto is built on. The timber structure rests on top of that, as the rich and diverse forests of the area grow from the ground. Extensive consultation was an integral part of this project, and multiple sessions were conducted with Lawrence Heights community residents as well as the urban Indigenous community in Toronto.