TORONTO, ON
Canada’s National Ballet School
Canada’s National Ballet School, a highly decorated ballet school, now resides in one of Toronto’s best examples of urban design.
The 180,000 ft² Celia Franca Centre houses 12 international standard two-storey dance studios (three medium-sized, eight large, and one extra-large), a cafeteria, a town hall, and underground parking.
The project revitalized a section of Jarvis St., a street endowed with historical buildings, two of which connect to the main dance studio: the Havergal Ladies College and Northfield House, originally built for Ontario’s longest serving premier, Sir Oliver Mowat.
The wall above the ground floor picks up the superstructure floor framing above by cantilevering out within the wall plane by 30 feet.
*project led by employees while employed at a previous firm.
To allow for natural light to enter the ground floor cafeteria, a large load-bearing and lateral-resisting concrete shear wall was cut back approximately 30 feet along its length to allow for a column-free, full-length glazing wall.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
CLIENT
National Ballet School of Canada
ARCHITECT
KPMB;
GBCA joint venture
OUR ROLE(S)
Structural Engineering Consultant
SIZE
16,723 m² (180,000 ft²)
BUDGET
$106 M
MARKET (OFFICE)
TORONTO
KEY CONSIDERATIONS
Challenge One
The long-span structure must prevent floor vibrations caused by the rhythmic activities inherent in dance practices.
Solution One
Several structural framing elements prevent floor vibrations. For instance, 15-metre-long architecturally exposed deflection-controlled beams span across the studios and provide enough mass to the structure to prevent floor vibrations. Exposed circular columns also contribute mass, and large mechanical beam openings allow for conditioning of the space.
GALLERY
