Community centre in Mississauga flaunts aluminium mesh screen and mass-timber construction

A community centre built by MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects (MJMA) in Mississauga, Ontario, mixes regional inspirations with a mass-timber construction. Although the structure has a simple rectangular design, the section is moulded by slanted roof peaks that let in light. The west and south-facing facades are covered in an aluminium mesh screen, exposing the black spruce glulam sections that serve as the canopy's structural support.

The Churchill Meadows Community Centre and Sports Park, a 75,000-square-foot structure featuring gyms, locker rooms, multipurpose rooms, and a pool, is situated on a 50-acre property formerly used for farming. Since most of the smaller programmes are on the ground level, the bigger pool and gym spaces may have double-height ceilings.

The columns were extended to an overhang on the front, sheltering a nearby playground and bike parking area. According to Bubridge & Walker, the aluminium screen around the facade was intended to act as a daylighting control device, filtering sunlight like a tree canopy. A passive daylighting technique, this lessens mechanical loads from energy usage while retaining the building's aesthetic during the day.

As options for the screen, the design team looked at stainless steel chain link mesh, perforated aluminium sheets, and various metal slat systems. However, aluminium mesh was chosen for its consistency of appearance, economy of material, inherent rigidity, and longevity.

Sun studies were used to analyse the screen's placement on the western porch and its relationship to the interior ceiling massing to lessen glare in the pool and gymnasium while keeping reflected light in place. A lower window-to-wall ratio, considerable insulation, and thermal spacers were used to block out heat gain through most thermal bridging connections.