New Tecumseth Municipal Offices

The New Tecumseth Administration Centre is an adaptive reuse of the former Alliston Union Public School in Alliston, Ontario as the new seat of Municipal Government and offices for the Town.

The design repurposes the core structure of the school building while providing new state of the art, energy efficient mechanical, electrical and IT systems. Building envelope was upgraded for improved thermal performance and the addition of new windows enhance interior daylighting while preserving the school’s characteristic brick veneer and precast concrete panel finishes. On the interior, the design makes use of the existing gymnasium long clear spans and height for a new Council Chamber.

A key aspect of the project was to ensure the new facility was equally a space for public gathering and events, as well as a centre for providing administrative services and governance for the Town.

Reorganizing the building and site to reflect this new municipal use was accomplished through a new double height gallery addition as the main ordering element for the building. Public meeting spaces, and the council chamber, along with customer service counters and a new feature stair connecting both levels, are all sequenced off this new addition element. The simple composition of wood and glass, transparency and rhythm, evoke a modern loggia which looks out onto the community plaza and landscaped park space, while managing connections to the primary interior functions of the building.

The project, though its adaptive reuse and this new modern addition, successfully create a new civic precinct for the Town connecting Alliston’s existing curling rink and cenotaph to the north, with the new Administration Centre site, through to park space and community sports fields to the south. The new addition is a standout signature in its urban environment.