THOROUGHFARE

PUBLIC THEATRE, 2021, Kitchener

Thoroughfare is a community engagement project that utilizes the underused police station and surrounding site to allow occupants to choose their own path through the building and surrounding landscape. The site includes a water feature that follows the civil district's 100 fountains plan by making the whole site into a fountain that occupants can interact with. The main feature of Thoroughfare is the vaulted ceiling that uses mass timber to represent a canoe and the journey one takes using the canoe. The main lobby space is flexible to allow for many different activities to take place within one of the two large spaces. The building itself allows for occupants to choose how they travel through the building with the programs being spread through four floors and split up so that you can cross the main lobby area on three of the floors. Some walls can open to allow for expanded spaces during the summer months and more opportunities to take unique paths from the surrounding landscape into the building.

 

SUSTAINABILITY.

The project uses a mix of biophilic design and adaptive reuse techniques to create welcoming spaces that have many uses. The flexibility of the building is due to the wide spaces and flexible seating, so even after the building’s theatre space is not needed, new programs can be put in the space. The existing building’s envelope is mostly left intact and whatever that was left over was to be used to recreate the curved exterior walls. Mass Timber is used to create structural supports and the main path through the building. The use of mass timber also improves the psychology of users by using natural materials as well as natural daylight.