The new Canoe Landing Campus designed by ZAS Architects in Toronto introduces a social and educational offering that was missing in CityPlace, one of Toronto's most populated residential developments.

The new project houses a $65 million community recreation center, public and Catholic elementary schools, and a childcare center within one campus. "Canoe Landing Campus has been embraced as a place that builds a real sense of ‘neighborhood’ for this vertical community," says Peter Duckworth-Pilkington, Principal, ZAS Architects, in a statement "We started by listening to the residents and the result is a unique architectural response not previously seen in the city."

The schools on the site share indoor play spaces, a learning commons, gymnasium, and educational areas. The outdoor park and community rooms are also accessible to the public sector. Additionally, the two-story community center is bisected by a pedestrian corridor and connects the three-story school buildings through an elevated bridge.

"The building’s design welcomes neighbors to take part in community activities allowing for a synergistic sharing of spaces between the community center, schools, and childcare," added Duckworth-Pilkington, in a statement. "Ultimately, the way the world approaches community space is forever changed. Now, more than ever, physical space must foster meaningful human connection while also remaining flexible to support communities with evolving hybrid and virtual needs for years to come." 

A defining future of the Canoe Landing Campus is its dynamic roofscape, which includes a running track, sheltered outdoor space, and a full-sized basketball court. The campus also embraces outdoor space with the implementation of a public art installation, low benches shaded by trees, and the integration of Indigenous art as a part of the overall architecture of the buildings.

The project was completed in June of 2020.