Toronto park's breathtaking new pavilion to welcome visitors is almost complete
Tommy Thompson Park has long been a favourite spot for cyclists, runners and nature-lovers in Toronto, and the park now has a brand new pavilion at its entrance that will soon serve as a way to welcome visitors with open arms.
The newly-constructed pavilion building, part of the park's Entrance Revitalization Project, has been in the works for several years now — promising an enhanced visitor experience for those looking to spend time in Toronto's urban wilderness destination.
Designed by DTAH, the pavilion includes highly-anticipated public washrooms, a water fountain, bike racks, outdoor gathering spaces and storage for park programs.
"The project seeks to establish a new front door to the Park that is welcoming, engaging, and ecologically sensitive to its context," said DTAH of the project last March.
"Led by DTAH, the design seeks to demonstrate best practices in low-impact development by establishing an entry landscape that are structured with berms and bioswales to support stormwater management, habitat expansion and visual screening strategies."
And while it's not open to the public just yet, photos of the mostly-completed structure show a uniquely-shaped building atop a raised pedestrian area and surrounded by separated pedestrian and bicycle access paths.
"The interpretive gabion wall, demonstrating the range of weathered construction rubble found along the Spit, even includes bricks produced by the John Price Brick Press at the @evergreen_brick_works !" wrote DTAH on Instagram earlier this year.
The pavilion's opening has, unsurprisingly, been delayed by the pandemic, but is set to be accessible to the public soon. Phase two of the project will eventually follow with a focus on parking lot revitalization.
Scott Norsworthy
