Two primary objectives were influential in the design of the Community Centre in the city of York. The first sought to accommodate the present needs of the neighbourhood by making careful reference to the April 1990 feasibility study, while addressing potential future uses. Secondly integrated the structure into the parks as to minimize disruption of the existing outdoor functions. Of paramount importance was to create a new strong, coherent, and recognizable image for the community long forgotten by the institutional agencies.
Most of the facility was to be interned into the western slope of the park, similar to to existing Memorial Hall. The project articulated as a series of one and two storey buildings consistent with the residential buildings in the area. The park would retain its ease of access through passages between and around the different sections. Each building opened along the open space giving the various facilities exposure to the park.
The Central Building is the focus of the complex. It incorporates the existing Memorial Hall, using its detailed doorway as the main entrance leading to the circular atrium that acts as the symbolic and functional centre of the complex, allowing access to all other areas. This part of the complex incorporated the Seniors Facility with program rooms overlooking the park, a café and Library/Lounge, and the Administration for the entire complex.
ThePool Building was designed as a state-of-the-artfacilityincorporating a full range of aquatic functions. The 8 lane lap pool can be used for age group competitions, advanced swim lessons, small water craft training, skin and scuba diving training in addition to thefitness and recreational swimming programs. The guiding idea was for swimming lessons to be taught in the shallow, free-form leisure pool south of the main pool. The most exciting feature would have been the large water carousel that dramatically descended into the pool along the front of the park.
In the area north of the park with the outdated exterior swimming pool, the plan called for two residential towers. The financial compensation to the city form these two towers would be an amount that would substantially cover most of, if not all, of the cost of the community centre – thus reducing the financial impact on the community. Planned coincidences intervened and only the Seniors’ Centre was realized.
