The Hearn Power Station

Toronto, ON, Canada

The Hearn Power Station

Toronto, ON, Canada

The Hearn Power Station is a decommissioned power plant characterized by its 215m/2000 feet high stack, located on the periphery of the emerging Port Lands Developments and the network of trails and green space of Lake Ontario Park, adjacent to the Toronto waterfront. The immense size and unique site provides remarkable potential for an immense variety of uses and programming, to transform this complex once used to pollute its surroundings, to one where it sustains it.

Using the strategy of an archeologist to decipher the structural and spatial arrangements of the Hearn to better understand the process of how the Hearn once functioned revealed inherent spatial qualities which were used as a building organizing strategy. What was discovered were 8 floor to ceiling 42m tall atria spaces, footprints left by the engines, a two-story circulation spine, used to transport the coal that fed these engines, and an undisturbed 4 story 240 m long hall which housed the turbines used to generate power.

The discovery led to a variety of program opportunities ranging from Arts, Culture, Education and Sports along Lake Ontario. OACES (Ontario, Arts, Culture, Education, Sports) is a vision, where the Hearn is a hub that sustains the growth of Lake Ontario Park and the developments of the Port Lands.

  • Location

    Toronto, ON, Canada

  • Client

    Suntower Developments Limited

  • Architect

    Behnisch Architekten in cooperation with Greenberg Consultants, MVVA, ERA Architects, Arup and Transsolar

  • Address