Vic Johnston Community Centre Renovation

Streetsville, Ont.
Construction Cost: $7.6 million (Canadian)
Area / Square Feet: 47,250
Occupancy Date: October 2009

The Vic Johnston Community Centre offers space for community functions and programs in historic Streetsville, Ont. Since its completion, the arena has been enthusiastically supported by the community as the home and center of minor hockey in Streetsville.

With the recently completed major renovation, the arena was overhauled to provide new, safer arena boards, glass and netting, upgraded wall insulation and cladding, new windows offering views into the tree canopy of the adjacent river valley, and restoration of the original wood structure of the barrel roof. In addition, changing rooms were made larger and accessible, public spaces were enlarged and made brighter and more inviting, and viewing facilities were enhanced and made more transparent. The circulation in the facility was redesigned to offer passive security through better sightlines, provide optional separation of arena and community center circulation and to improve orientation within the facility.

The exposed wood structure in the atrium and deep, inviting canopies rekindle the warmth of the arena’s original wood structure. Details in the canopy construction evoke those of the local train station and similar historic buildings. Stone columns and exterior walls bestow a sense of heritage and embody the Streetsville vernacular, while large windows bathe tall interior spaces with natural light and provide a transparent screen from which the activities of skating, hockey and community events animate the building. The building is carefully detailed, the mass playfully deconstructed and varied to provide a dynamic composition and an aesthetic that offers interest at multiple viewpoints.