The Boulevard Club West Wing Replacement Project is a new two-storey addition to the historic Boulevard Club on Toronto’s western waterfront. The addition replaced the existing west wing, which was originally built as a boat house and became structurally compromised beyond repair.
Architects Teeple Architects
Location: Toronto, ON Canada
Lead Architects: Stephen Teeple (Design Principal), Chris Radigan, Martin Baron
Area: 29000.0 ft2
Manufacturers: Kalzip
The new structure provides new change rooms for men, women, families and youth; a spa and wellness centre; five badminton courts and a multi-use gymnasium. Numerous small lounge spaces are combined with beautiful finishes like wood and natural stone to give the entire facility a luxurious spa-like feel. The circulation spaces, the spa, two lounges, and a new roof terrace open to the lake to take full advantage of the waterfront view in ways the original building never did.
A significant challenge of the project was to organize the large, windowless volumes elegantly and naturally on a very tight site and to seamlessly extend the circulation flow of the existing building. The mass of the large spaces within the building are mitigated by a large, flowing roof. The roof starts low on the east to connect gently to the historic club house and to maintain views to the lake from the Parkdale neighbourhood to the north, and then rises to the west over the second floor badminton courts. The roof is to be an iconic landmark from the water; a 21st-century addition to the sculptural roof compositions of the early 20th-century centre block and mid-century east wing.
The building aims to minimize environmental impact and energy use, incorporating a UV treatment plant for stormwater, heat recovery on the waste water, extensive use of LED lighting and a highly insulated envelope with a high albedo (white) roof.