Aero-Tecture

As both an important piece of history and a valuable piece of development land in the city of Toronto, Downsview Park is above all an important opportunity for the city and people of Toronto to reclaim a large plot of urban property. It should be seen as an opportunity to test and explore the possibilities of a progressive, sustainable and environmentally conscious driven community on a truly urban development scale, combating the tendency for most large development projects to move north of the city in the form of urban sprawl.

Located on the grounds of the former CFB Downsview air force base, the park has a rich history of both military and civilian aircraft and airport buildings that lend themselves to a unique and specific language of architectural form, elegance and structure. The position of this project is to not only take cues from these architectural forms and structures, but to actually reuse the recycled aircraft themselves to introduce a new archetype of small building that will be used throughout the park. By informing a practice of recycling construction materials, a message of sustainability and environmental awareness will be promoted as well as a preservation of the history and legacy of the people and planes that once used this space.