Orillia Community Recreation Centre 

Orillia, Ontario
Construction Cost: $48.5 million
Area / Square Feet: 137,000 SF
Occupancy Date: February 2019

The Orillia Community Recreation Centre is a re-inhabitation and reclamation of an industrial brownfield site to create a new recreational and social heart. The project reimagines Orillia’s storied industrial past and references both the site’s previous use as a foundry and the city’s legacy of brick civic buildings with its own bold masonry massing. 

The built form of the facility is integrated into a 26-acre naturalized park that includes a wetland and is connected to the city’s trail system. The facility features an aquatic center with a 25-meter, eight-lane pool for instructional, training and competition use, and warm-water therapy and leisure basins. The gymnasium component has two FIBA/FIVB courts with a moveable acoustic dividing wall. The facility also features a fitness center, multipurpose spaces, a community art gallery and an indoor track, with a connective tissue of civic spaces. . Primary program spaces are illuminated using clerestories and skylights, generating ideal light for athletic and performance activities, and light that diffuses throughout the building interior. The running track is integrated with the primary clerestory for the gym and fitness areas, offering exceptional north views back to the city center. 

Due to extensive contamination from foundry waste and gas residue from solvents in the groundwater, the site was previously deemed uninhabitable. Careful work with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks in organizing the site uses, and significant capping and venting methodologies were deployed to transform a brownfield site into a safe civic facility.

ARCHITECT OF RECORD

MJMA Architecture & Design

Toronto, Ont.

PROJECT VENDORS

Pools - rope swing

Acapulco Pools

Gymnasium/Field House/Arena - Scoreboards/Timing Systems

Acuity Brands

Building Systems - Skylights

Alumicor/Artistic

Pools - Water Polo Goals and Lines

AntiWave

Pools - Climbing Wall

Aquaclimb

Locker/Shower - Shower/Toilet Partitions

Bobrick Washroom Equipment Inc.

Pools - Chemical Control Systems

Chemtrol

Locker/Shower - Flooring

Dal-Tile Corp. 

Pools - Deck/Basin Surface

Dal-Tile Corp. 

Pools - Dehumidifiers

Dectron

Gymnasium/Field House/Arena - Lighting

Delviro Energy - Titan

Pools - Lighting

Delviro Energy - Titan

Pools - Diving Boards

Duraflex International

Pools - Gutters

Emco grates

Pools - Filtration Systems

Fluidra

Gymnasium/Field House/Arena - Basketball Backboards/Supports

Gymnasium & Health Equipment

Gymnasium/Field House/Arena - Volleyball Nets and Standards

Gymnasium & Health Equipment

Pools - Cleaners/Vacuums

Hayward

Pools - Movable Floor

KBE

Locker/Shower - Lockers

Lincora Canada

Gymnasium/Field House/Arena - Divider Wall

Moderco

Fitness Center - Flooring, Aerobics

Mondo

Fitness Center - Flooring, Fitness Center

Mondo

Gymnasium/Field House/Arena - Scorers Tables

OES Scoreboards

Gymnasium/Field House/Arena - Divider Curtains

Qued, Div. of Seaway Mats Inc.

Indoor Sports Surfaces - Basketball

Robbins Sports Surfaces

Indoor Sports Surfaces - Multipurpose

Robbins Sports Surfaces

Indoor Sports Surfaces - Volleyball

Robbins Sports Surfaces

Indoor Sports Surfaces - Track

Robbins Sports Surfaces

Pools - Ladders/Grab Bars

Spectrum Aquatics

Pools - Lane Markers

Spectrum Aquatics

Pools - Basketball Stanchion Anchor Kit

Spectrum Aquatics

Pools - Dive Stand

Spectrum Aquatics

Pools - Lifeguard Chair

Spectrum Aquatics

Pools - Scoreboard/Timing Systems

Swiss Timing Omega

Pools - Starting Blocks

Swiss Timing Omega

Gymnasium/Field House/Arena - Sound Systems

Tannoy