AlbertC

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2685 KINGSTON RD
Ward 20 - Scarborough District


Redevelopment of existing school site. Demolition of existing school and construction of a new secondary school.

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Based on the summary of St. John Henry Newman Catholic High School on Wiki, it looks like this site will be the location of its new school:

Replacement school

St. John Henry Newman is one of the oldest buildings within the Toronto Catholic District School Board that needs massive repairs due to aging infrastructure and harsh weather.[4] The structures built in 1964 and 1976 was originally built to house 666 pupils in capacity and requires some 70% of the building's components to be replaced.[5] Initially, 14 portables with a portapak were scattered across the school to ease perpetual overcrowding with the population doubled its size. In 2008, the portables were realigned to create an extra parking space. Twelve replacement surplus portables came from the Regina Pacis compound and the remaining eight from James Cardinal McGuigan Catholic High School, which constructed an addition at the time totaling to 20 portables.[6]

On November 9, 2015, The Ontario Government announced to spend $30 million to construct a modern, state-of-the-art school with learning spaces for 1,110 students.[7] It will be built on the neighbouring property of Scarboro Foreign Mission Society, which will be closing their doors sometime in the early 2020s. Demolition will take place thereafter, and construction of the new school is expected to begin shortly afterwards, with completion of the new school in September 2023.[8]


Currently on site:

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Retaining that main entrance portion of the Mission building would be great. seems like a significant heritage resource which has great street presence. It's also part of the wider St. Augustine's campus area, so it's redevelopment needs to be special.

There is plenty of remaining land from tearing down the wings which the new structure could be built on in an integrated way. I suspect the "state of the art modern facility" will become some off the shelf boxy pink brick veneer crap with some off putting vibes and a lack of character. But you know, it's state of the art!

I hope you prove me wrong TCDSB!
 
In discussions with the City they came to understanding about heritage retention (see TCDSB site page below).

Solid work here by both parties. New design is subservient and complimentary to the heritage portion. Its also great contemporary design. Much More in the Architectural Plans.
We need this quality of design for all schools!

Renderings from the submission to the City:

Cardinal Newman 1.jpg

Cardinal Newman 7.jpg


Cardinal Newman 3.jpg

Cardinal Newman 4.jpg
Cardinal Newman 6.jpg
 
Appreciate the sensibilities in integrating the building with the heritage portions, but I agree that I'm not particularly sold on the windowless portion (presumably the gymnasium/auditorium) nor the landscaping around it- it seems to generate a fair bit of dead space in the surrounding zone.

Why not put some paving in and turn the space between the windowless portion and the heritage structure into a forecourt?
 
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St. John Henry Newman Catholic Secondary School

Overview

Located at Kingston and Brimley Roads in Scarborough, and built in 1963 as an addition to St. Augustine’s Seminary, St. John Henry Newman Catholic Secondary School is currently operating at well beyond capacity. To facilitate redevelopment, the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) purchased the lot directly north of the school, currently occupied by the Scarborough Foreign Mission (SFM). The redevelopment includes the demolition of the Mission’s three-storey McCrae wing to make way for the new design, which incorporates historically significant portions of SFM and chapel building. The new secondary school will be a three-storey structure built to accommodate 1,100 students and 100 staff.

Drawing parallels between the life of the Agora in ancient Athens (serving as religious, political, judicial, athletic, social and commercial hub) and the activities that take place at St. John Henry Newman, the Stoa of Athens served as inspiration for the design team. The Stoas’ open, covered portico, dimensions and architectural expression are referenced in the design of the new facility, allowing new components to function as a complimentary backdrop to the Campus’s heritage buildings.

From the north entrance located at Kingston Road, the site slopes a full storey towards the classrooms facing the sports field at the south of the building. The unique section has been leveraged in the design of the main entrance corridor and circulation spine of the school. This strong north-south axis connects the communal spaces of the café, theatre, chapel and learning commons to the main corridor, and presents a view out towards the 400m track and sports field as you enter in the main doors from Kingston Road. Borrowing again from the theme of the Agora, and utilizing the grade change to its full potential, the outdoor space between the chapel and gymnasium volumes creates a tiered amphitheater to be used as performance space by the theatre arts program directly adjacent to it.

The new St. John Henry Newman campus will meet the Toronto Green Standard v3- Tier 1 requirements and include sustainability features such as a high-performance building envelope, solar photovoltaic panels and storm water bio retention ponds. An adaptive reuse project, the embodied energy of the brick and structural steel in the components of the SFM and Chapel buildings that will be retained offer a savings of 3,334,731 kWh versus building new.
 

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