Ontario Construction News staff writer
Toronto has opened the Rouge Valley Community Recreation Centre, a 94,000-square-foot facility in Scarborough designed as a hub for health, learning and community connection.
The centre, located in Joyce Trimmer Park, was designed by Perkins & Will Canada Corporation and built by Aquicon Construction. The project expands access to recreation programs and facilities in northeast Scarborough, an area identified as a priority in the city’s Parks and Recreation Facilities Plan.
“The Rouge Valley Recreation Centre has something for everyone. It brings people together, supports families and gives our community a place to connect,” Mayor Olivia Chow said in a statement.
The building includes a 25-metre swimming pool, a leisure pool, a full-size gymnasium with space for the city’s first practice-size indoor cricket pitch, a 62-space child-care centre, a teaching kitchen, fitness and dance studios and multipurpose rooms. The city says the design followed extensive public consultation to ensure the programming reflects the diversity and needs of local communities.
Rouge Valley is Toronto’s first net-zero community aquatic facility and the first in Ontario to receive the Canadian Green Building Council’s Zero Carbon Building Certification. The building operates entirely on electricity, supported by rooftop and wall-integrated solar panels and heat pumps that help warm the building in winter and cool it in summer.
“The Rouge Valley Recreation Centre has something for everyone. It brings people together, supports families and gives our community a place to connect,” Mayor Olivia Chow said in a statement, noting the inclusion of Toronto’s first indoor cricket pitch.
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