Thorncliffe Park Urban Agricultural Hub
PROJ. TYPE
YEAR
COMMUNITY CENTER (Conceptual)
2011
LOCATION
TEAM
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Sam Luong
An agricultural hub was designed for Thorncliffe Park, a once designated low priority neighborhood in East York, Toronto, as part of an effort to revitalize the area.
Driven by a bottom-up approach in design as a result of various workshops that were held there, a site strategy was conceived that lead to the program formation of the urban agricultural hub.
Agriculture is important to the hub's design as it serves as a cross-cultural medium that inclusively brings people together.
One of the hub's most striking features is its planar geometry. Inspired by one's ability to find growth anywhere, even below ground, the geometry best represents the attitude of the community. Despite the symbolic architecture, it is the site's limits that ultimately dictated the building's overall form.
Furthermore, glass is architecturally used to let light into the greenhouses and exhibit hall, while also projecting the community's importance in their value for transparency to neighborhood problems.
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(To take a tour of the agricultural hub, please view the following slides below):
In addition to the diversity of spaces, the building utilizes several sustainability features, such as extensive green roofs, PV panels, the use of passive cross ventilation, and skylights in order to improve the overall air quality, lighting, thermal comfort, and mental well-being of its occupants.
This is important to the context of Thorncliffe Park because it serves as a reminder that Wellness is an inclusive experience, one that should be easily accessible by all and not for just the elite few.
