There's a sculptural quality to the design of the Regent Park Aquatic Centre in Toronto Ontario, Canada. Contributing to the project's success is a Dri-Design rainscreen cladding system fabricated from ANTHRA-ZINC, a rich, charcoal black version of VMZINC®, the international brand name of rolled zinc products manufactured and sold by the Building Products Unit of Umicore.
The 28,000-square-foot facility, located in downtown Toronto’s Regent Park, features two styles of Dri-Design panels: shadow panel and tapered. Located in the middle of the park and constructed as part of an ambitious revitalization effort for the surrounding area, it offers several multi-purpose swimming areas, including a six-lane pool, a leisure pool, children's pool, hot tub and more.
For the centre’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, which 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 exterior panels are not noticeable, but from close-up, the individuality of the panels is readily apparent. The silhouetted black zinc appears to float over the transparent, glass-encased base, capturing the facility’s white interiors and red cedar ceilings. A benefit to using the Dri-Design systems was both their precision and customizability, 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 area.
“VMZINC® is honored to have played a role the creation of the Regent Park Aquatic Centre in Toronto,” said Daniel Nicely, managing director at VMZINC®-US. “The superior quality and high performance of our Dri-Design panel systems lend well for projects like this one, where architects seek a fully custom solution that blends seamlessly into their designs.”
To learn more about Dri-design rainscreen cladding systems, click here.