SmartVMC Bus Terminal

Oaa.on.ca
March 28, 2022

Location: Vaughan, Ontario
Architect: Diamond and Schmitt Architects Incorporated

The SmartVMC is a mixed-use community emerging in Vaughn. Positioned at the terminal station of the Toronto-York Spadina subway extension, it is home to York Region Transit’s (YRT’s) new transportation hub. Its centrepiece is a mass timber bus terminal set within an urban park. The terminal inverts convention by enveloping the bus loop in public space. The PXL Gallery, a 10,000 square foot programmable light installation delineates the northern edge of the park while providing commuters with a rotating program of exhibitions.

The Terminal inverts the normal transit typology by wrapping the bus loop with platforms contiguous with the surround public space, with no barriers or fare gates. The landscaping of patterned paving and low grassy berms crossed by angled pathways flows seamlessly into the station from the pedestrian mews to the west and the urban park to the south. Glazed windscreens and shelters protect waiting passenger while maintaining visual transparency.

A smoke evacuation shaft for the subway below was made into a feature by wrapping it with an organically-shaped perforated metal shroud backlit by colour-changing LED lighting.

The project points the way to a low-carbon future that embraces civic excellence and architectural expression. The Terminal roof is built of heavy timber--a renewable resource that heads the many sustainable initiatives undertaken in the overall design. Extensive daylighting in the pavilion removes the need for artificial lighting during the day. At the same time, a shading canopy and overhanging roof manage solar gain so natural ventilation can keep the interior comfortable in the summer. A “cool roof” with a white, high-albedo membrane also reduces the urban heat-island effect. A central island within the bus loop is planted with drought-tolerant flowering shrubs that provide an unexpected connection to nature for waiting passengers.

The Terminal has been designed to be open and inviting--an iconic curvilinear roof and the warmth of the exposed wood structure fulfils YRT’s ambition to elevate the experience of public transit. Its PXL Gallery--a 10,000-sf low-resolution LED permanent art installation--encloses the transit square and provides commuters rotating exhibits of curated moving artwork created by acclaimed digital artists.

The structural system is a hybrid of steel framing and FSC-certified spruce-pine glued laminated (glulam) beams. The prefabricated glulam timber beams and SFI-certified spruce-pine cross-laminated timber (CLT) roof deck ensured high-quality control and speedy construction. Careful coordination and innovative detailing were needed to adapt the flat CLT panels to a flowing form with doubly-curved sections. Steel I-beams are clad in heavy timber facings to maintain the overall wood look, and the main glulam beams that form the spine of the roof over the bus platforms were doubled up with a secondary, non-structural beam to form a chase for lighting, speakers, and cameras.