Hariri Pontarini Architects (HPA) and Snøhetta were selected by the Ontario provincial government to redesign the Ontario Science Centre (OSC).
The forthcoming building by HPA and Snøhetta will replace the current Ontario Science Centre complex designed by Canadian modernist Raymond Moriyama.
The educational and cultural venue will be a centerpiece of the Ontario Place redevelopment taking hold of a 150-acre Toronto waterfront site that first opened in 1971 as a theme park designed by Eberhard Zeidler.
Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming (MTCG) awarded a contract totaling $1.04 billion for Ontario Science Partners “to design, build, finance and maintain a new state-of-the-art Ontario Science Centre facility.”
Plans for the site’s redevelopment have ruffled feathers since it shuttered. The Ontario Ministry of Infrastructure announced plans to demolish the Moriyama-designed OSC in 2024. Today, the OSC is fenced off and the OSC logo has been removed from the museum’s front entrance, prompting public outrage.
Many people in Toronto are still advocating for the Moriyama building’s adaptive reuse, despite the demolition plans. A local city councilor filed a motion in December to slow down the building’s demolition.
Snøhetta and HPA beat the other shortlisted firms that were announced last February to redesign the OSC: Cumulus Architects and Belvedere Architecture.
The development team includes John Laing Limited, Sacyr Infrastructure Canada, Amico Major Projects, Johnson Controls Canada, and Agentis Capital Advisors.
Renderings by Snøhetta and HPA show a new 5-story, curvilinear structure shaped like a sail boat on the promenade. Its facade will feature generous spans of glazing complemented by scalloped white tile work.
Atrium interiors are playful, combining texture, pattern, and color. A wide, spiraling staircase hugging the glazing is depicted with a bronze-hued sheathing. Above, the ceiling is shown lined with slats painted in a light green and gray.
The 400,00-square-foot building will connect with the historic Pods and Cinesphere designed by Eberhard Zeidler—the brains behind the early Ontario Place. Acoustic enhancements will be made to the Cinesphere’s IMAX facilities.
The geodesic dome at Ontario Place was designated a structure of Cultural Heritage Value in 2014 by the Government of Ontario. Likewise, the Pavilion Pods left over from old Ontario Place will stick around. The steel and aluminum structures that hover above the waterway were built as restaurants and exhibition spaces.
Also underway in the redevelopment of Ontario Place is a new amphitheater. The waterfront concert venue, designed by PARTISANS and Gensler, is anticipated to open by 2030 and host over 1.5 million fans annually.
Therme Canada will open a new spa at Ontario Place, as part of a controversial agreement that was brokered with the provincial government.
Elsewhere on the waterfront site, children’s playgrounds and a forum with fountains for concerts, markets, art festivals, and celebrations are planned. A new, elevated trail will cross the Brigantine Cove.
Construction on the new OSC is anticipated to start in the coming weeks and complete in 2029.
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