Brampton selects Diamond Schmitt for Centre for Innovation design
The City of Brampton has tapped Diamond Schmitt Architects to design its downtown Centre for Innovation.
The city made the announcement on July 26 after it had shortlisted proponents for the project down to six in 2018. It selected the Toronto-based firm for the company’s history of work on such notable projects as the Senate of Canada Building in Ottawa; Toronto’s Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts and The Globe and Mail Centre; Lazaridis Hall at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo and the Peel Memorial Centre for Integrated Health and Wellness, which is also in Brampton.
Diamond Schmitt is also designing the new Ottawa Public Library and Library and Archives Canada Joint Facility.
“Brampton is in the midst of an exciting transformation, and our Centre for Innovation will play a pivotal role in helping to develop our city into a major education and innovation hub,” said Mayor Patrick Brown. “With the selection of Diamond Schmitt – a top Canadian firm – we are one step closer to unlocking the economic potential of downtown Brampton, and providing our residents with high quality education and skills opportunities right here at home.”
As part of the city’s growing Innovation District, Brampton’s Centre for Innovation (CFI) will be a collaborative space offering a new central library providing opportunities for digital creation and programming, performance and audio recording, assistive technologies for various abilities, and culture days. The library will provide flexible office spaces to engage residents and community partners.
The CFI will be located in Brampton’s downtown core and support the presence of such current and future institutions as Algoma University, Ryerson University and the University of Guelph-Humber. It will play an integral role in connecting these institutions with local businesses and start-ups and help connect Brampton’s workforce with skilled jobs of the future.
The centre will also provide significant stimulus at the heart of the city’s downtown. It will, for example, be a gateway and landmark for train passengers entering or leaving the city from the Downtown Brampton GO station, and provide opportunities for elementary, secondary and postsecondary students to engage with one another and with the local business community and industry in a collaborative setting that promotes experiential learning.
The city’s broader development plan for its Innovation District anticipates an entrepreneurship ecosystem in the downtown core, with resources for companies in all stages. The city is investing more than $21 million in the initiative.
“The continued development of our Innovation District is a key action in our economic recovery strategy, and the Centre for Innovation will be integral in spurring future growth in the area and supporting our recovery,” said regional councillor Martin Medeiros. “I’m excited the city has selected an architect, and look forward to seeing the benefits the Centre for Innovation will bring to our downtown.”
Construction of the CFI is expected to start in 2023.
Featured image: Artist’s concept of the Brampton downtown core with the Centre for Innovation. (City of Brampton)