Regent Park Aquatic Centre

Toronto, Ont.
Construction Cost: $14.8 million (Canadian)
Area / Square Feet: 28,000
Occupancy Date: November 2012

Regent Park Aquatic Centre was conceived as a park pavilion, very open at the base and bisected lengthwise by a “dorsal fin” of aquatics hall sky lighting.

The multipurpose swimming pool facility anchors the six-acre central park at the heart of the Regent Park revitalization, and it is the first facility in Canada to adopt the singular use of universal change rooms — no longer separating males and females. Instead, the building utilizes common change rooms with private change cubicles. This enhances openness and visibility throughout the entire complex. The facility also has sliding glass doors off the main pool hall to allow access to the park-side terrace, and the facility offers a new level of accommodation with the addition of a complete system of aquatics hall screening for groups wanting private swims.

The building is both sculptural and urban, while the open and inviting interior design is clean and simple. The aquatics hall has a green roof, augmented by cisterns for site water stewardship, and the facility features high-efficiency mechanical and electrical systems with energy-management controls, as well as pool dehumidification with heat recovery.

Judge's Comments

Great interior spaces. An appropriate pavilion-like structure for an urban park.
— Greg Garlock

Stunning urban park building. Simplicity in plan, sophisticated in massing, detailing and execution. Natural daylight, views to all spaces, and visual connection to the park.
- David Dymecki

The use of daylighting and wood over the pool deck creates a wonderful counterbalance to the building's angular geometry. The result is a modern, clean space that it also warm and inviting.
- Lindsey Peckinpaugh