Client News: Canadian waterfront trail pavilion features RHEINZINK panels

A steeply sloped, RHEINZINK-clad roof is the architectural focal point of an open-air pavilion at the new Trillium Park and William G. Davis Trail at Ontario Place in Toronto. The opening of the park and waterfront trail marked the first milestone of the province's plan to revitalize and transform the iconic landmark into a vibrant, year-round attraction.

As part of Ontario Place, the site served as a center of activities as the province celebrated Ontario's 150th anniversary. At the pavilion's opening, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport Eleanor McMahon remarked, "This new public park and trail brings the beauty of Ontario's natural landscapes to the heart of downtown Toronto. In a city this size, it's important to have resources like this one for people to enjoy."

William G. Davis, former Premier of Ontario (1971–1985), added, "I am pleased to see a new era begin for Ontario Place and I am honored by the beautiful trail that now bears my name. When Ontario Place opened in 1971, it was designed to be a place that everyone in the province could enjoy—a place that would show Ontario's potential. Forty-six years later, that potential is our reality—a province that is inclusive, innovative and a place that people from around the world are proud to call home. Once again, Ontario Place will be a gathering spot for the people of this province to come together."

Today, the pavilion continues as a popular gathering spot on the 1.3 km (0.8 mile) trail, which connects the park to the Trans Canada Trail that stretches for more than 2,000 km (1,243 miles). With peaks and valleys reflective of the silhouette created by Ontario's spruce and pine forests, the roofline of the pavilion forms a dramatic sculptural element.

Approximately 600 m² (6,458 square feet) of RHEINZINK prePATINA blue-grey Double Lock Standing Seam Panels clad the four sections of the steep roof. The 0.8 mm panels were fabricated by RHEINZINK distributor Agway Metals Inc. of Brampton, Ontario, as part of Agway's AR-38 concealed fastener system. The panels included RHEINZINK's ProRoofing factory-applied backside coating. The coating reduces backside corrosion arising from design, construction and workmanship defects. ProRoofing frequently is used for standing seam and interlocking tile roofing applications.

The panels were installed by Semple Gooder Roofing Corporation of Toronto. "The steep pitch of the roof, as well as some complicated intersections of panels, was definitely a challenge," said Peter Sjourwerman, manager of Semple Gooder's architectural cladding division. "But we've been working with zinc for more than 20 years and can pretty much fabricate anything. For example, we custom-fabricated a radius ridge cap with concealed fasteners for the pavilion in our shop and made all of the custom flashings on-site."

Sjourwerman is a strong believer in zinc as a long-lasting material. "It may last more than 100 years, but it definitely needs to be installed properly," he said. "Our team was led by superintendent Kevin Gibb and sheet metal foreman Peter Frew. The guys did an outstanding job."

Design for Trillium Park was led by landscape architects LANDinc of Toronto in consortium with a diverse multidisciplinary team, including West 8 of New York and Blackwell Structural Engineers of Toronto.

The opening of the park was the result of a three-year design consultation process, which included public workshops and consultations in a more-than-two-year construction process. The high-profile project was managed by Infrastructure Ontario and the Ministry sponsor was the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport.

"The pavilion sits at the end of a performance lawn as an object in space that is meant to create some curiosity and wonder and be a potential meeting place for small events and gatherings," said Patrick Morello, principal of LANDinc.

"No material other than zinc was considered for the roof of the pavilion. We sought out zinc for its naturally weathering patina, which will develop over time. We specifically chose the prePATINA blue-grey RHEINZINK to encourage this process," said Bruce Gilchrist, project manager and designer with LANDinc.

The design also included the use of heavy timber to reflect the industrial connections to natural materials at the turn of the 19th century. An ongoing challenge was to sustain an open gathering space within the pavilion amid the wind forces imposed on the roof faces from Lake Ontario.

"LANDinc architect-of-record Christopher Wallace explored numerous structural options to achieve a limited number of columns that connect to footings embedded in bedrock," Gilchrist said. "Due to the intersecting roof forms created by Adriaan Geuze of West 8, the greatest challenge was coordinating the work of each trade at the connection points. A virtual and physical 3-D printed model was constructed by LANDinc and further evaluated to assist in the fabrication of each material section on the structure."

Construction of the Pavilion and Washroom building was done by A-Con Construction Ltd. of Bolton, Ontario, working under Toronto-based general contractor Urbacon.

The project team's design and construction to revitalize Trillium Park and William G. Davis Trail at Ontario Place has received numerous accolades, including a 2018 National Award of Excellence Canadian Society of Landscape Architects.

RHEINZINK America, Inc. led the introduction of architectural zinc in North America and continues to offer one of the industry's most reliable, trusted brands. Architects and contractors are supported by unparalleled customer service and technical assistance. RHEINZINK is readily available through an established network of qualified distributors and systems partners across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Ideal for roofing, façade, gutter and interior applications, RHEINZINK is environmentally friendly, 100 percent recyclable and offers a potential lifespan of 100 years or more.

For more information on RHEINZINK, call 781-729-0812 or visit www.rheinzink.us.

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Project photographer: Greg van Riel