Toronto’s historic Don Valley Brick Works factory operated for nearly 100 years and provided bricks used to construct many well-known Toronto landmarks, such as Casa Loma, Osgoode Hall, Massey Hall, and the Ontario Legislature. Since its closure the factory had become an underused, deteriorating collection of buildings.
Now, the buildings have been sympathetically restored and the former quarry converted into a new city park which includes a series of naturalized ponds. The site has been reopened as a thriving environmentally-focused community and cultural center by Evergreen, a national charity dedicated to restoring nature in urban environments.
Our civil engineering team supported the achievement of the client’s vision to refurbish and operate the site in a way that would actively promote green and sustainable initiatives in an urban environment, including achieving LEED Platinum certification for one of the buildings on the site.
The stormwater management features are integrated into the site’s character, designed to work within the complex environmental constraints of the site, the geo-environmental conditions and the location within the floodplain of the adjacent Don River.
The design of the new parking lots and roadways meet the needs of a multifaceted transportation network for public transit, bicycles, pedestrians and commuter vehicles and cope with high visitor numbers.
Client
du Toit Allsopp Hillier | du Toit Architects Ltd.(dTAH), Evergreen
Services
- Infrastructure master planning
- Procurement of site plan approvals
- Civil site servicing and stormwater management reports
- Detailed design drawing and specifications for site servicing
- Site grading and paving
- Sanitary sewage pumping station upgrades
- Construction support and field review services
