Future of The Brick Works
Evergreen, a Canadian non-profit organization whose activities have included stewardship of the Don Valley Brick Works site since 1997, has transformed the abandoned buildings into a cultural centre with a focus on the environment. Having leased the "industrial pad" portion of the site from the Toronto Region and Conservation Authority, Evergreen has renovated several of the existing structures and constructed one new building known as the Centre for Green Cities. The goal of the scheme is adaptive reuse, where most of the buildings will be reinforced where needed and repurposed to house the new programming planned for the site. In this way, the site can be recycled as much as possible and the historical integrity of the Don Valley Brickworks can be maintained.
Evergreen Brick Works will be an education centre addressing the themes of nature, culture and community. t will be a destination for families and individuals to enjoy a natural refuge, while sampling a rich offering of programs and services - from gardening workshops, heritage tours, and clay-making and organic food markets, to a retail nursery, demonstration gardens and leading-edge green design techniques.
$20 million of the project's $55-million dollar budget was pledged by the federal government under the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund, and the Province of Ontario contributed an additional $10 million. The construction process began in November 2008, and grand opening of Evergreen Brick Works took place September 28, 2010. The complex is now open to the public, with regular shuttle bus service running daily from Broadview Subway Station. Public transit is also available on Saturdays from Davisville subway station by bus route 28A Davisville.
Design and construction was a joint venture between Du Toit Allsopp Hiller Architects, Diamond and Schmitt Architects, and several other prominent firms. DTAH is responsible for the master planning scheme, while Diamond and Schmitt are the designers of the new Centre for Green Cities and Welcome Centre. Other programming for the site includes art exhibits, classrooms, garden centre, and office space for Evergreen and other environmental organizations.
Restoration to the building include structural reinforcement, and replacement of material such as the current asbestos transite roofing in favour of a more effective, longer lasting material. Several of the buildings were left without roof cladding in order to create open air spaces, leaving the steel trusses visible. The building's red-brick masonry was preserved as much as possible, while interiors were renovated to update plumbing, life safety and mechanical systems, as outlined in Evergreen's Master Plan Update 2007. Each building has programming set aside for it in DTAH's planning scheme, such that the project can continue to expand as funds become available.
In 2009, National Geographic Traveler named Evergreen Brick Works one of the 10 finalists in its Geotourism Challenge 2009, "a global competition of tourism-related projects that promote natural and cultural heritage while improving the well-being of the local people". The 10 finalists were chosen from 610 entries from 81 countries.
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