Ghanaian Presbyterian Church

North York, Ontario

ADDITION | RENOVATION

RELIGIOUS | MIXED-USE

The Ghanaian Presbyterian Church is a worship facility and cultural community centre located in North Toronto. Members of the Ghanaian community gather regularly from across the GTA and southern Ontario for worship, community events, and celebrations. A key program for the facility is the music school, after school tutoring, and faith formation. As a result of growing programming, limited space, and a desire to expand to include recreational sports programming, an addition and renovation project was undertaken.

Phase 1 of the project was to include the addition of a new gymnasium, washrooms, offices, and classroom space to permit the growth in programming. The gymnasium was conceived as a feature element with extensive glazing and a colourful soffit emblazoned with a traditional kente pattern to communicate to the surrounding community the vibrancy and activity on the site. The gymnasium is designed to also act as an event space and is supported by a commercial kitchen, washrooms, and storage. Adjacent additional classrooms were provided with flexibility to allow small classroom settings or larger conference style gatherings.

Phase 2 of the project was a renovation of the existing facility to make the existing classrooms more functional. The music school required additional space and sound proofed practice rooms. Due to the activity and nature of the celebrations, additional sound attenuation measures are implemented throughout the existing facility to improve functionality. New IT and AV equipment makes the facility more flexible, interconnected, and functional for contemporary technological requirements.