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Raleigh, N.C. — May 4, 2016 — To create the Regent Park Aquatic Centre in Toronto, VMZINC-US's Dri-Design product provided a custom zinc shadow panel system and tapered system.
The 28,000-square-foot facility is in downtown Toronto’s Regent Park. Originally built in the late 1940s, a Regent Park Revitalization project began in 2005 to bolster the 69-acre, mixed-use community. This aquatic facility, placed in the middle of the park, offers several multi-purpose swimming areas, including a six-lane pool, leisure pool, children’s pool, hot tub, and more.
For the center’s exterior, the architecture firm, MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects, sought a material that was durable, highly sustainable, and would support the transparent, sculptured form of the facility.
Dri-Design panels were selected in pre-weathered ANTHRA-ZINC, a rich, charcoal-black color that combines seamlessly with other natural building materials, including wood and glass. The zinc panels provide a distinctive tone and texture, and the dark color creates a timeless, neutral palette on the building’s exterior.
From a distance, the varying depths of the centre’s design are not immediately felt, but as one moves closer to the building, the movement in the panels becomes apparent. The silhouetted black zinc appears to float over the transparent, glass-encased base, capturing the facility’s white interiors and red cedar ceilings. (See photo.)
In addition, the Dri-Design systems were highly precise and fully customizable in terms of depth and panel size, which allowed the architects to have full control of the wall design.
The open, clean design of the Regent Park Aquatic Centre — achieved through the expert combination of zinc, wood, and glass — provides an inviting civic oasis for the historic and diverse Regent Park community against the backdrop of an urban setting.
