Therme Canada unveils the latest designs for its new waterpark and spa, as well as public space on the West Island of Ontario Place.
Updated:
Published:
Image 0 of 21
Public trail at water's edge Therme Canada is pulling back the curtains on its designs for Ontario Place, addressing some of the criticisms that have been levelled at the redevelopment while trying to drum up excitement for a project it believes will “redefine” the relationship between people and the waterfront. (Therme Canada)
Therme spa and waterpark Journalists were given an opportunity to preview the plans this week at the brightly-lit downtown offices of Diamond Schmitt, the architecture firm spearheading the design for the new facility. (Handout)
Architects (left to right) Jeffrey Craft of STUDIO tla is overseeing the landscape architecture of the site, partnering with Landscaspe Architect and Indigenous Consultant Terence Radford of Trophic Design. Adam Vaughan, a former city councillor and MP, is a senior advisor for Therme Canada. All three watch as Gary McCluskie, principal at Diamond Schmitt Architects, explains some of the features of the site on a model. (Joshua Freeman /CP24)
West Island model “The interior of the building, that's the Therme environment. But pretty much everything outside is Parkland,” McCluskie said, pointing out that the entire perimeter of the island, as well as a green roof on top of the building, will be free public space year-round. (Joshua Freeman /CP24)
West Island The site includes 16 acres of parkland, roughly the same size as midtown Toronto’s Ramsden Park, Vaughan pointed out. That will include three public outdoor swimming spaces – a pier, a sandy beach with change rooms, and steps leading down into the water. (Therme Canada)
Bird's eye The indoor space on the West Island will feature three “immersive zones” – play, relax and restore.
The company says each zone will provide “unique experiences” for families adults and wellness-seekers, set among lush botanical gardens. (Therme Canada)
Wave pool The play area will include a wave pool and more than 20 water slides, one of them weaving inside and outdoors. There will also be three relaxation pools and six mineral pools.
The spa amenities will include 14 saunas, nine steam rooms, cold plunges, cold showers and an ice fountain. (Therme Canada)
Pools While critics of the project have referred to it as a mega-spa for the rich, Vaughan says the price of general admission will be around $40 a person, similar to what it was when Ontario Place still operated as an amusement park.
“It’ll be cheaper than a day at Canada‘s Wonderland,” he quipped.
That could of course change with inflation by the time the project is complete in several years. (Therme Canada)
Water slides General admission would include the mineral baths, saunas, steam baths, slides and splash pads, Vaughan said, while spa treatments would be extra. (Therme Canada)
Infinity pool One of the key features of the project, the team says, is the ability for the facility to operate year-round, which they say provides a revenue model that is superior to what existed in previous iterations of Ontario Place.
Therme expects an annual attendance of 2.5 million people, with 7,000 daily visitors on an average weekend, and up to 15,000 visitors on peak days. (Therme Canada)
Native plants When it comes to the environmental design, the team takes pains to point out that they have been working with Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, and that they will be planting native plant species in the green areas. (Joshua Freeman /CP24)
West Island cleared New drone footage from CTV shows that the West Island has essentially been bulldozed over now.
Craft said before any of the new features can be built, a new foundation has to be laid.
“The key here is that we have to build an island, and you have to start with resiliency. Without resiliency, we can't maintain this,” Craft said. (CTV Toronto)
West Island work “We actually will be building an armored wall basically around the island itself, but it's going to be stepped. And fundamentally, what is critical here is that you'll be able to access the water in that stepped environment.” (CTV Toronto)
Water management Vaughan adds Therme sees itself as a water technology company.
“The ways in which water is used on this site is phenomenal,” he said. “I mean, it's not just the fact that there's heated indoor-outdoor pools during the winter. It's also the way they deal with condensation on the glass, the way they keep it humid and warm and comfortable to be inside during the winter, but also be able to swim outside. Each one of the palm trees is its own little machine of water filtration.” (Therme Canada)
Therme at night Therme says the water in the facility will be cleaned and recycled every four hours, resulting in less water usage.
Vaughan says addressing sewage outlets near the site is part of the rehabilitation for the island as well. (Therme Canada)
Therme plans unveiled While this is Diamond Schmitt’s first water park and spa, the firm has designed community centres around the country before.
McCluskie said that while much of the redesign is based on a better understanding about infrastructure and resiliency, some of the ideas of Michael Hough – the original architect of the site – will live on in the new plans. (Joshua Freeman /CP24)
Elements of original design remain “It's 2025. We know more about engineering, but the principles are still there; Inner lagoons, wetlands, micro climates, East headlands, West headlands, beach environments, public access,” McCluskie said. (Joshua Freeman /CP24)
Flow with natural environment “We like to think it's innovative, but it's actually what we would like people to think of as being normal, and that is when you integrate both the building and the landscape into one whole system,” Craft says. “So we have approximately 10 acres of aquatic habitat that's being added specifically to the West Island that doesn't exist there now, and that is for both plant and aquatic life, but with a major six acres of wetlands.”
Beach at west end Therme Canada Senior Adviser Adam Vaughan looks at the western end of the Ontario Place redesign model. The westernmost end of the site will feature a new sandy beach, as well as a sweat lodge structure, paying tribute to First Nations, that will host cultural events, art, musical events and other live programming. (Joshua Freeman /CP24)
Therme designs A cross-section of Therme's latest design for its spa and waterpark is pictured. The company says the two building structures will stand at 43.5 metres and 22 metres -- shorter than the original design. (Therme Canada)
Ontario Place master plan With a footprint of 32,600 square metres, the spa and water park footprint has been reduced by 14 per cent from the original design, Therme says, owing largely to the separation of the parking structure. (Therme Canada)
