Location: Mississauga, Ontario

Architecture Practices: Diamond Schmitt Architects

Building on an addition completed in 2000, the Carmen Corbasson Community Centre project encompassed the expansion and renovation of the existing facility with a new natatorium, fitness centre, and aerobics studio, all integrated with the existing arena and gymnasium complex. Located adjacent to Cawthra Woods and designed as a “pavilion in the forest,” the project transforms a formerly blank façade into a porous edge between building and forest. 

The original timber lobby roof is replicated and extended to form a connective spine uniting old and new. Defined by exposed mass timber, the natatorium is a light-filled, outward-looking space with strong visual connections to Cawthra Woods. Resilient and low-carbon terra cotta cladding provides a complement to the existing masonry, while glazing with a linear frit pattern provides a cohesive exterior expression. The use of mass timber reduces embodied carbon while introducing warmth and biophilic qualities into interior spaces. 

Jury Comments

"A strong, highly legible plan seamlessly ties together the circulation for a large, complex building of community and recreational uses that had expanded through additions over time. Elegant and simple use of interior and exterior materials creates a welcoming, but highly civic building."

 

Check out our BLOAAg article for more information.

Publish Date : 2026/Jun/17