Evergreen Brick Works Kiln Building Redevelopment

In 2010, Toronto’s Evergreen Brick Works opened as Canada’s first large-scale community environmental centre. The awardwinning development repurposed an abandoned brick-making factory and quarry that shuttered in 1984 and added a LEED platinum certified building to create a vibrant new public space. Since that time, Evergreen Brick Works has been reuniting urban dwellers with nature, introducing the public to concepts and strategies that address sustainability and climate change, and demonstrating a different type of public space that fosters community through interactive workshops, community festivals, and regular visitor programming.

Building 16, the largest on the Evergreen campus has, until now, received little attention. Built in the 1950s to house kilns for drying and firing bricks, the heritage designated building existed in a relatively derelict condition. Following the 2010 re-development, the building has been a draw as a one-of-a-kind event venue, becoming an important revenue generating facility for Evergreen, and a destination for urban explorers seeking out post-industrial artifacts and graffiti. However, as a partially enclosed open-air space in a flood plain, the building was at nature’s mercy; exposed to the elements, seasonal limitations and periodic flooding that interrupted operations.

In 2017, Evergreen assembled an expert team led by LGA Architectural Partners to work with the City of Toronto’s Heritage Preservation Services, Ontario Heritage Trust and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority to stabilize, flood proof and retrofit the building while targeting a carbon-neutral design. With Phase 1 of the project completed in May 2018, the Kiln Building will re-open operations as a preserved heritage site that is a symbol of a post-industrial Toronto, a functional and resilient 2,000-person event and educational space no longer threatened by seasonal disturbances, and a demonstrative space for sustainable architecture. The work on Phase 2 will commence in summer 2018, focusing on the completion of the solar panel system, site restoration and Kiln Gallery, and the addition of contemporary elements including a classroom and studio mezzanine.

“As architects, we aspire for opportunities like this, to collaborate with a team of experts to establish a place that is a meaningful preservation of our past and also a model and experiment for our future,” explained LGA Principal Janna Levitt. “Our key challenge and responsibility was to assert a light touch – designing just enough to stabilize the historic elements and keep them exposed, preserving the authentic quality of the place, while also adding elements required to enhance its purpose and carry it forward into the future.”

Sustainable Design
The team set an ambitious goal for the retrofit of a historic building, targeting carbon neutrality and positioning the building as a model for advancing sustainable cities. This was achieved by using various renewable energy strategies and green construction practices. For example, in order to extend the building’s use through all seasons, the design team enclosed the open portion of the building with a custom, retractable wall of high-performance glazing. This provides a seamless connection between indoors and out and in combination with new skylights, facilitates passive ventilation.

A combined geothermal and solar heating and cooling system was added to create a moderate temperature and comfortable environment, aimed at increasing visitor use from six months to year-round. This system is predicted to eliminate 647 tonnes of carbon annually compared to the conventional approach. In addition, data on the material embodied energy and construction process energy is being collected for the long-term goal of offsetting the impact, for example through purchasing carbon credits or tree planting.

Flood Mitigation and Resiliency
To address the effects of active flooding, the team developed a multi-faceted approach that minimizes risk and damage, and targets next day turnaround for use. First, rooftop rainwater is reclaimed through cisterns for use in toilets and for irrigation, and flowing water is diverted by a new planted swale and network of greenways that channel water away from the building to a naturalized pond. Second, the team raised the entire floor nearly two feet with an innovative cavity floor system that adds a protective buffer at floor level. Mechanical and electrical equipment and materials sensitive to water are also raised to various increments within the building. Lastly, to address the most extreme floods, rather than relying on hard-fixed infrastructure, the team designed a network of recesses in which Evergreen can quickly insert and activate portable pump systems exactly where needed.

Celebrating and Preserving Heritage
The team applied a didactic and commemorative approach to the heritage elements of Building 16 to create a museological tour of the site, including preserving the brick firing and drying ovens and re-presenting them as industrial artifacts. Although the concrete floor needed to be raised two feet in most sections to accommodate the flood proofing design, new steel inlays and sandblasted lines trace the cart tracks below while sections of tinted concrete represent the impression and footprint of the historic kilns, helping visitors to understand the history of the site.

In one middle section, a grate surface gives visitors a glimpse of the original floor underneath. The team also addressed the factory’s abandonment by preserving its graffiti, serving as evidence of the evolution of urban street art over several decades, and its acceptance as a recognized form of contemporary art. Only one small area of the historic structure was significantly altered – a small section of wall was meticulously cut to establish an intimate exhibition space, the Kiln Gallery.

At the core of the design is an emphasis on bringing a light-touch and restrained approach to the new elements, creating a clear distinction from the heritage designated components. Aside from minimalist steelwork and the new curtain wall, contemporary additions include a service station for catering activities and a bright white, free-standing bank of washrooms with smooth and polished surfaces, sharply contrasting the raw and textured steel and brick palette of the existing building. Exemplifying Evergreen’s emphasis on universal accessibility, the washrooms will feature 21 gender neutral stalls making it one of the largest of its kind in Ontario.

Next Steps
Phase 2 will see the completion and commissioning of the solar panel system. This phase will also focus on the restoration of site at Evergreen Brick Works, and final touches on the intimate Kiln Gallery that doubles as space for interpretive programs and events. In addition, the team will create a collaborative studio mezzanine, that will hover above the kilns, for hands-on programs that will demonstrate innovative, low-carbon, and mass timber construction.

LGA Architectural Partners

Heritage Consultant: ERA Architects
Project Manager: Waverly Projects
Construction Manager: EllisDon
Structural: ARUP
Mechanical: Brookfield GIS
Electrical: Ianuzziello & Associates
Civil: SCS Consulting
Code: David Hine
Acoustic: Swallow Engineering
Geotechnical: Colin Alston
Specifications: Don Shortreed
Concrete Specialist: CRH

Client: Evergreen