Pan Am Games Athletes’ Village Projects

Location
Toronto, Ontario

Client
Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion

Date
2011

Overview

The 2015 Pan-Am Games Athletes’ Village is a plan for a mixed-use residential village in the West Don Lands, adjacent to the Distillery District, the future River City, and Don River Park. The design includes eight blocks of mixed-use residential housing, including market and affordable housing types. The YMCA and George Brown College will be incorporated into one of the blocks. The Front Street Esplanade acts as the heart of the new neighbourhood with retail developments and taller buildings. Connections and views to Don River Park are emphasized through east-west streets that terminate in the park, with townhouses lining the neighbourhood-scale north-south streets.

The Village Plan anticipates the long-term legacy of the development. Open park and festival spaces during the Games were planned as the location for future housing blocks. Within individual buildings, flexible units and adaptable spaces are used to re-appropriate games-mode amenities into long-term townhouses and residential amenity spaces.

Expertise

Public-Private Partnerships

We help proponents manage the risk associated with P3 projects in Ontario. Our expertise in managing complex development processes means that we can help avoid delays in project approvals and regulatory processes, which can undermine project feasibility and increase project costs.

Housing + Mixed-Use

Housing is a core focus of our business. We design innovative and adaptable buildings and master plans that respond to the immediate and future housing needs of diverse communities and all levels of income. We have a history of initiating and realizing housing projects that fill critical gaps in the market, and that are sensitive and adaptable to evolving cultures and contexts.

Post-Secondary Institutions

Our firm has set a new standard for sustainability in Canadian institutional architecture, integrating passive energy systems, low-emission materials, and resilient building strategies into the design of lecture halls, classrooms, labs, offices, recreation facilities and student residences. Working within changing urban contexts, our adaptable designs allow for flexibility in program and building use over time. Seminal projects include York University’s Computer Science Building and the student residences for Ryerson’s downtown Toronto campus.

Cultural Institutions

We help institutions fulfill their cultural mandate, and remain closely connected within their community, during periods of economic and social change. We take a comprehensive approach to the design, restoration and funding of public buildings and spaces, facilitating cultural partnerships and making efficient and productive use of space and resources.

Planning Approvals

We provide comprehensive support for approvals under the Planning Act that includes: the creation of clear, high quality documentation for amendments to official plans, zoning bylaws and building codes; producing planning applications and planning rationale reports; and representing our clients at Ontario Municipal Board hearings.

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