Beaches Athletic Club

RENOVATION . TORONTO, ON . work in progress

Adaptive reuse, in the context of large developments in Toronto, many times preserves the street facing façade as a skin, while constructing towering masses behind and later applying this ‘skin’ back to the new building. When presented with the challenge of this building, we sought to take this adaptive reuse to a deeper more meaningful level. This existing building from the mid 1800’s, was originally a silent movie theatre then automotive dealer, hardware store and finally as a dance studio. The building featured masonry walls and a wood framed peaked roof. Upon further investigation it was revealed that much of the wooden truss roof structure was failing and needed to be replaced. We made a conscious effort to keep and repair the existing masonry walls as a way to preserve the history of this building but also seeking to keep our carbon footprint low.

With a large floor plate of roughly 40’ by 140’ and no opportunity for natural daylighting from the west or east due to a tightly packed urban environment along Queen Street East, a strategy was needed that would allow for an open floor plate that provided ample natural light. The structural strategy was to use a new steel super structure that would free up the floor plate of columns and alleviate the aging masonry structure of its existing load. The challenge of daylighting was addressed with a new cross laminate timber (CLT) roof that features a series of large full width clerestory light monitors. With two large north facing monitors and one south facing monitor the ground floor plate flooded with plenty of natural light perfect for a fitness, health and wellness studio.

Throughout the project the client was interested in bringing in a biophilic feel and look to the gym. Located in the Beach neighbourhood, and minutes away from Lake Ontario having a space that reflected that active outdoor lifestyle was important. Throughout the design process we developed the new roof further to incorporate a green roof deck that is accessible to clients and can be programmed with classes. Directly below the accessible green roof deck on the ground floor is one of many large planters featuring a large tree and green wall further reinforcing that concept throughout the gym. Material selections throughout focused on natural and durable materials. The ground floor features an exposed existing brick wall as you make your way into the gym space.

We chose to CLT decking as a way to reduce the carbon footprint of the building but also to highlight the natural beauty of this structural component as an exposed ceiling. In mitigating views from busy Queen street into the gym we created an angled screen using CLT panels to afford more privacy to the gym while still allowing light and views into the space.