Stormwater Facility
Situated in Toronto, the Stormwater Facility (SWF) treats urban run–off from the new West Don Lands development. While the project represents state–of–the–art handling and treatment of stormwater, the design for the facility enclosure and site also elevates the spatial role of the infrastructure, evoking other historic infrastructural works—the R.C. Harris Treatment Plant, the Bloor Street Viaduct, and the Hearn Power Station—whose architectural character has helped define Toronto’s identity. The site, on the northeast corner of Lake Shore Boulevard and Cherry Street, houses a facility comprised of four major elements.
The first is the stormwater reservoir, a 20-metre diameter shaft covered by a radial steel grate that acts as an inverted siphon and receives untreated storm water from the surrounding development. Directly above is a discrete pump building perched on the edge of the reservoir.
Finally, the most prominent elements of the facility are the stormwater treatment plant itself and the paving feature that connects the facility to the reservoir. The design for SWF takes these constituent parts and unifies them into a whole that renders the infrastructural function legible, didactic and aesthetically compelling. SWF is thus part of a new face of Toronto, in which leading environmental performance, award-winning urban development, and world-class design operate together.
Clients: Waterfront Toronto, RV Anderson
Location: Toronto ON
Completion: 2020
Architects and Landscape Architects: gh3
Consultants: RV Anderson (structural, mechanical, electrical, civil)
Photography: Adrian Ozimek
Awards:
2022 Civic Trust Award
2022 Governor General’s Medal in Architecture
2022 AZ Award—Commercial and Institutional Under 1000 sqm Finalist
2021 Toronto Urban Design Award of Excellence
2011 Canadian Architect Award of Excellence
gh3 Team: Pat Hanson, Raymond Chow, Joel Di Giacomo, Byron White, Jeffrey Deng, Andrew Lee, DaeHee Kim, Bernard Jin, Bryce Gracey
