Pioneer Village

Will Alsop’s practice, aLL Design, in collaboration with The Spadina Group Associates (TSGA), a joint venture of IBI Group, LEA Consulting Ltd. and WSP, have designed and completed two of six stations on the Toronto Transit Commission’s (TTC’s) new TYSSE (Toronto York Spadina Subway Extension). The Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension Project will provide a critical extension for the existing TTC subway system across the municipal boundary between the City of Toronto and The Regional Municipality of York.

Pioneer Village station straddles the border of York Region, beneath the intersection of Steeles Avenue West and Northwest Gate, anchoring a corner of York University Campus. The station will serve as an integrated regional transport hub serving up to 20,000 subway passenger trips daily, providing 1,881 commuter parking spaces and two separate regional bus terminals.

The location is otherwise underdeveloped and it is intended that the station entrances and bus terminals will create a public focal point that will serve the future development of the surrounding area, beginning with Steeles Avenue West.

The subway station’s entrances were designed as a pair of sculptural structures; their height exceeding that necessary, to increase their visibility - 'We learn a lot from cathedrals,' said Will Alsop. Rendered in weathering steel, these two structures mirror each other in shape and scale. The bus station canopy – also Corten steel – has a huge cantilevered roof, the surface of which is planted with meadow grasses, to create a ‘green-roof’ and to provide shelter for waiting passengers.

Both Pioneer Village station and Finch West station comprise beautifully executed concrete work – in Pioneer Village the interior walls are faceted, highly-polished concrete and the supporting columns along the length of the platforms are angled and ovoid in section.

Public Art Installation: “LightSpell”, designed by realities:united, Berlin, is a “super sculpture”; a hybrid between art and the lighting of the subway station. The interactive installation consists of a suspended array of 40 light elements that run along the ceiling throughout the station. Each element produces the alphabet; special characters and numerals, enabling passengers to send messages that appear on the display. The debate on censorship of this installation is ongoing.

Pioneer Village station incorporates the following environmental initiatives:
• Cool roofs and green roofs;
• Increased daylight levels to reduce electric lighting power usage;
• LED lighting in pylon signs, and energy efficient lighting in illuminated wayfinding signage to reduce power consumption;
• Water efficient plumbing fixtures;
• Energy efficient HVAC system;
• Reduced storm water runoff into the municipal drainage system by utilizing green roof landscaping and soft landscaping areas adjacent to other building runoff areas;
• Short term bicycle parking spaces; and
• Landscaping with native and drought-tolerant species.

Toronto Transit Commission

Will Alsop
Anaïs Bléhaut
Melanie Clarke
Dieter Janssen
Sonila Kadillari
Christina Kalt
Vincent Lin
Duncan Macaulay
Steve Mason
Tarek Merlin
Ed Norman
Maxine Pringle
Philip Richards
Arnold von Storp
George Wade
Greg Woods
Bonny Yu
#LetsRide

IBI Group: Architect of Record

Bruce Han
Richard Stevens
Celia Johnstone
Charlie Hoang
Ana-Francisca de la Mora
Gui Chan
Stuart Hill
Michael Norton
Welland Sin
Michael Mueller
Jennifer Ujimoto
Colleen Gono
Amer Obeid
Andrew Chiu
Adetokunbo Bodunrin
Ashley Adams
Bijan Ghazizadeh
Bill Whitelaw
Claudia Rosario
Domenico Grossi
Gary Chien
John Lenartowicz
Timothy Mitanidis
Trevor McHugh
Manisha Athavale
Kirbi Abuyan
Nasir Jaffer
Jim Bazios
Shailza Bhavsar
Behrang Ghamisi
Marjan Zelic
Keerthana Balakunalan
Gabriel Colombani
Syed Navqi

LEA Consulting Ltd.: Civil/Structural Engineering

WSP (Halsall Associates): Structural Engineering

HH Angus & Associates Ltd.: MEP

Janet Rosenberg & Studio Inc.: Landscape Design

Artists
Bruce McLean
Realities:United (Lightspell)
Jan Edler
Tim Edler