Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games Athletes' Village
A section of the West Don Lands community was used as the Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games Athletes’ Village.
Unlike many athletes’ village projects which are purpose built to house competitors during major athletic events and then converted to other uses following the games, Toronto's Athletes’ Village project leveraged work already underway. Using a section of the West Don Lands for the Athletes’ Village accelerated the pace of transforming the former industrial lands into a beautiful, sustainable, mixed-use neighbourhood.
Our precinct plan laid out a pedestrian-friendly, riverside community that included affordable, market and student housing, a community centre, vibrant retail and commercial at-grade, all complemented by improved transit and transportation with beautiful streets and public spaces.
Originally, the build-out of the 32-hectare (80-acres) West Don Lands was planned to unfold in three strategic phases and take between 10 and 12 years, subject to market conditions. The need to house the athletes and officials for the Games in the summer of 2015 catalyzed the development of more than half of the community.
Quick Facts
Following a competitive procurement process, Dream Kilmer Developments was awarded a fixed-price contract to design, build and finance the Athletes’ Village site. The Athletes’ Village first provided accommodation and games-related services for the 10,000 athletes and officials participating in the Pan/Parapan American Games. Participants enjoyed dorm-style housing, full use of the new YMCA and Corktown Common, and a variety of temporary services and facilities provided to meet their needs including a dining hall, welcome centre, transportation hub and a variety of other amenities.
Following the Games, Dream Kilmer converted the buildings and suites and installed permanent finishes transforming the area into the lively mixed-use neighbourhood envisioned in our award-winning West Don Lands Precinct Plan. Facilities required for the Athletes’ Village, but not part of the long-term needs of the West Don Lands community, were built as temporary structures.
Infrastructure Ontario (IO), Waterfront Toronto and the Ontario Realty Corporation worked with Toronto 2015 to develop the Athletes' Village, which was delivered using IO’s Design-Build-Finance delivery model, with a Build-Finance component for certain site servicing.
Building a Village
The Athletes' Village served as the home-away-from-home for 10,000 athletes and officials for approximately eight weeks in the summer of 2015. Once the Games ended, it was converted into a range of housing options as defined by the West Don Lands Precinct Plan.
The Pan/Parapan American Games is one of the world's largest international multi-sport events, held every four years for athletes of the 42 member nations of the Pan American Sport Organization. The games comprise a mix of Summer Olympic Games sports, as well as traditional Pan American sports.
The portion of the West Don Lands allocated for the Athletes' Village was approximately 3.8 acres centred on Front Street. The development included approximately 2,000 units of housing, as well as a range of facilities required for the Athletes’ Village, but not part of the long-term needs of the West Don Lands community. Facilities such as a welcome and accreditation centre, a 3,500 seat dining hall, parking and service facilities, and a transit mall were built as temporary structures.
achieving sustainability
The Athletes' Village achieved LEED® Gold certification and was efficient in its use of resources. Plans for the area requirde taking advantage of new approaches and technologies to deliver a positive impact on the surrounding air, land and water.
planning, design and compliance team
Following a competitive selection process, Waterfront Toronto and Infrastructure Ontario named a planning, design and compliance team for the project in October 2010. The team was responsible for developing output specifications and preliminary design documents for the West Don Lands Athletes' Village Project.
The team:
HOK: Team Leader - Design & Planning Strategy Team
Architecture duToit Allsopp Hillier (DTAH) - Design & Planning Strategy Team - Architecture/Landscape
Quadrangle Architects - Design Strategy Team - Architecture/Accessibility
Montgomery Sisam Architects - Design & Planning Strategy Team - Architecture
Populous - Program Manager/Expert Advisor - Athletes' Village
Preferred Bidder Selected for Toronto 2015 Pan Parapan American Games Athletes’ Village Project
Request for Proposals Stage Closed for Toronto 2015 Pan Parapan American Games Athletes’ Village Project Located in the West Don Lands
Request for Qualifications Issued to Select Non-profit Housing Corporation for Affordable Rental Housing