BRANKSOME HALL ATHLETICS & WELLNESS CENTRE Toronto / Ontario / Canada
BACKGROUND BRANKSOME HALL WAS ESTABLISHED AS AN INDEPENDENT ALL GIRLS’ SCHOOL, NOW A LEADING INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE (IB) WORLD SCHOOL, LOCATED IN THE RESIDENTIAL SOUTH ROSEDALE HERITAGE CONSERVATION DISTRICT IN THE URBAN HEART OF THE CITY OF TORONTO, CANADA. The campus is set within a large green property, characterized by lush wooded ravine edges and open green spaces. The city’s extension of Mount Pleasant Road divides the campus into two sides, and requires students to cross via a pedestrian bridge.
CAMPUS RELATIONSHIP TO DOWNTOWN TORONTO
CAMPUS CONTEXT
SITE STRATEGIES THE NEW ATHLETICS & WELLNESS CENTRE BRINGS TOGETHER THE JUNIOR, MIDDLE, AND SENIOR SCHOOL STAFF AND STUDENTS FROM BOTH THE EAST AND WEST CAMPUSES AS THE CAMPUS-WIDE SOCIAL HUB.
10 M RAVINE SETBACK
HERITAGE SETBACK
PEDESTRIAN CIRCULATION
VEHICULAR CIRCULATION
NATURE VIEWS
PUBLIC VIEWS
EXSITING COURTYARDS
NEW COURTYARDS
MASSING CHALLENGES HOW TO FIT THE LARGE VOLUMES ONTO THE TIGHT BUILDING FOOTPRINT WITH A 12M HEIGHT RESTRICTION IN THE ROSEDALE RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBOURHOOD?
CROSS SECTION LOOKING NORTH
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• The aquatic hall is set one level lower with the gymnasium floating above. • A minor variance was granted to allow the height required for competition volleyball in the gymnasium. • HVAC system is hidden in a high wall parapet that is an extension of the roof line and provides acoustical control for sound to both Branksome Hall’s adjacent buildings and the surrounding neighbourhood.
LONGITUDINAL SECTION LOOKING EAST
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LEVELLEVEL 00 | AQUATICS 00 | AQUATICS 1
Pool Viewing Pool1Viewing
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Rowing Centre
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2 Rowing Centre 3 Teaching Pool Teaching Pool 4 25M Lap Pool Guard’s 25M5Lap Pool Room 6 Aquatic Guard’s Room Staff Change Rooms
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Aquatic Staff Change Rooms
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LEVEL GROUND FLOOR LEVEL 01 01 | |GROUND FLOOR 7 7Junior Girls’Girls’ Change RoomRoom Junior Change 8 Senior Girls’ Change Room 8 Senior Girls’ Change Room Pool 9 Pool Filtration Room FiltrationRoom Room 10 9Mechanical 11 10Electrical Room Room Mechanical
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Electrical Room
Entrance 1 1 Entrance
2 Community Concourse Community Concourse 3 Atrium & Reception 3 4 Atrium & Reception Meeting Room ViewingRoom Gallery 4 5 Meeting 5 6 Pedestrian Bridge (Above)
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Viewing Gallery
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Pedestrian Bridge (Above)
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Dining 7 Hall Dining Hall Servery 8 Servery Ravine Terrace 9 Courtyard Ravine Terrace Heritage Bus 10 Drop-Off & Pick-Up Heritage Courtyard Loading 11 Bus Drop-Off & Pick-Up
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LEVEL 00 | AQUATICS LEVEL 02 | ATHLETICS LEVEL 02 | ATHLETICS 1 2 3 4 5 6
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Pool Viewing 7 Junior Girls’ Change Room 7 Senior Girl’s Change Room 1 Centre Athletic Concourse / Gym 1 Athletic Concourse Gym Viewing Rowing 8 Viewing Senior Girls’/Change Room 8 Junior Girl’s Change Room 2 Gymnasium 2 Gymnasium Teaching Pool 9 Pool Filtration Room 3 Yoga 25M Lap Pool Studio 10Studio Mechanical Room 9 Rooftop Garden 3 Yoga 4 Dance Guard’s Room 11 Studio Electrical Room 4 Dance Studio Aquatic Staff Change Rooms 5 Pedestrian Bridge (to East Campus) 5 Pedestrian Bridge East Campus) 6 (to Fitness Centre 6 Fitness Centre 7 Senior Girl’s Change Room 8 Junior Girl’s Change Room 9 Rooftop Garden
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LEVEL 01 | GROUND FLOOR LEVEL 03 | MEZZANINE LEVEL 03 | MEZZANINE 1 2 3 4 5 6
Entrance 7 Dining Hall 1 Upper Fitness Centre 1 Upper Fitness Community Concourse 8 Centre Servery 2 Mechanical 2 Mechanical Room Atrium & Reception 9Room Ravine Terrace (Maintenance) Meeting Room 3 Lower Roof Heritage Courtyard 3 10 Lower Roof (Maintenance) Viewing Gallery 11 Bus Drop-Off & Pick-Up Pedestrian Bridge (Above) 12 Loading
ATHLETICS & WELLNESS CENTRE THE ATHLETICS AND WELLNESS CENTRE IS A CONNECTOR OF SPORT, HEALTH, NOURISHMENT AND NATURE.
The new AWC was initiated by the school in an effort to raise healthy living and wellness amongst the student population and staff. The 72,000 sf two-storey facility with accessible ravine and rooftop terraces, connects to (and re-clads) the existing pedestrian bridge, linking the east and west campuses. It features an aquatic centre with teaching and training pools, gymnasium, fitness centre, dryland rowing yoga and dance studios, dining hall, servers, kitchen, open courtyards, and meeting spaces. The AWC serves as a campus-wide social hub with places to watch sport and provides informal studying spaces. A series of internal walkways with interconnected ground and second floors encourage students to pass by and see athletics – inspiring involvement in the athletic community.
The strong visible connection to the ravine is like a breath of fresh air deep into the inner volumes. The larger program volumes are containers of light, sitting on a glowing glass base elevated in a similar way as the pedestrian bridge. Exterior glazing allows visibility to the life within, showcasing the Branksome Hall functions and creating an open and inviting public identity.
A SERIES OF TRANSPARENT WALKWAYS WITH INTERCONNECTED GROUND AND SECOND FLOORS ENCOURAGES VIEWS INTO ATHLETIC PROGRAM AREAS
THE AQUATIC HALL IS LOCATED AT THE LOWER LEVEL BUT VISIBLE THROUGH SOCIAL SPACES AND IN THE COMMUNITY CONCOURSE
THE DANCE STUDIO AND FITNESS CENTRE PROVIDES AN INTERACTIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT, SUPPORTING THE SCHOOL’S INTEGRATION OF ACADEMIC AND WELLNESS PROGRAMS
VIEWS OF THE BAKING OVEN AND FIREPLACE HEARTH ACTS AS VISUAL ANCHORS TO THE MAIN CIRCULATION SPACES AND GATHERING AREAS
LARGE PROGRAM AREAS ARE BALANCED WITH INTIMATE SOCIAL SPACES WITH VISUAL CONNECTIONS TO NATURE AND THE RAVINE
PATHWAYS CONNECTING THE AWC WITH SURROUNDING HERITAGE BUILDINGS ARE LINED WITH ENGRAVED PAVERS OF ALUMNAE NAMES, LINKING BOTH CURRENT AND FUTURE ALUMNAE TO THEIR ALMA MATER.
MJMA (MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects) Copyright Š 2017 by MJMA All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. For more information about this project, please contact: Amanda Chong T: 416-593-6796 ext 245 E: achong@mjma.ca www.mjma.ca