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Canada’s National Ballet School

Toronto, Canada

Canada’s National Ballet School, a highly decorated ballet school, now resides in one of Toronto’s best examples of urban design.

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Cultural
Sports & Recreation
Structural

Canada’s National Ballet School

Toronto, Canada

Canada’s National Ballet School, a highly decorated ballet school, now resides in one of Toronto’s best examples of urban design.

Project led by Entuitive leaders while employed at a previous firm.

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.

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. The wall above the ground floor picks up the superstructure floor framing above by cantilevering out within the wall plane by 30 feet.

location

Toronto, Canada

Awards

2010, Design Excellence Award, Ontario Association of Architects; 2009, Education Facilities Design Award, American Institute of Architects/Committee for Architecture and Education; 2009, Award of Merit, Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals; 2008, International Architecture Award, the Chicago Athenaeum; 2008, Governor General’s Medals, Royal Architectural Institute of Canada

Client

National Ballet School of Canada

Size

16,723 m² (180,000 ft²)

Architect

KPMB; GBCA joint venture

Budget

$106 M

Role

Structural Engineering Consultant

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Challenge
The long-span structure must prevent floor vibrations caused by the rhythmic activities inherent in dance practices.
Solution
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.

Learn more about how Entuitive approaches engineering challenges, and discover why Engineering Performance matters for your project.

Get in Touch

Interested in learning about how we work? Message us and we will get back to you in a timely manner.

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