On August 7, the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism, announced $6.5 million for Evergreen’s Kiln Building redevelopment, led by LGA Architectural Partners. The investment from the Canadian Cultural Spaces Fund supports major infrastructure investments to expand and enhance arts and culture programs in the historic kiln building at Evergreen Brick Works in Toronto. Also announced this week was $1.175 million from the Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program funded by the Government of Canada and delivered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
These investments are part of Evergreen’s $30 million campaign to create a new global demonstration hub, where urban thought leaders and citizen city builders from across sectors can gather to co-create, test and prototype solutions for building inclusive low carbon cities.
“The Kiln Building Redevelopment celebrates the industrial, cultural and natural heritage of the site and once completed, it will be a global example of how to develop sustainable cities,” said Geoff Cape, Evergreen CEO. “This generous support allows us to create a meeting place where visitors can learn, share and influence ideas that will shape our cities for the better.”
The Kiln Building – the site of the Future Cities Centre – will be the national hub for Future Cities Canada, a new city-building initiative that brings together people, ideas, platforms and innovations from across sectors to find new ways to address the challenges facing cities. Since its initial stages, the retrofit of the historic 53,000-square-foot building has become a test site to advance and accelerate the shift to more sustainable construction design and practices. Evergreen and its partners have worked together to offer new possibilities for developing sustainable cities while ensuring that the historic features are preserved. Upon completion, the project will be one of the first carbon neutral sites in Canada.
Industrial Evolution: The Kiln Building at Evergreen Brick Works, Toronto, Ontario
“Our communities are stronger, more inclusive places when we have cultural spaces to create and gather together. Cultural infrastructure is also an important economic driver for our cities,” said the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism. “By supporting the construction and renovation of cultural spaces, we are helping make arts and culture more accessible to Toronto residents and visitors, while also giving our artists and creators news spaces to thrive. Funding for renovations to cultural spaces at Evergreen Brick Works will increase the amount of cultural programming and public art on-site.”
“With federal funding through these Federation of Canadian Municipalities, communities are driving local change with national impact,” said Vicki-May Hamm, President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. “Local governments influence around half of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions, and today’s announcement demonstrates the concrete steps local leaders are taking toward Canada’s GHG targets. With national leadership and investment in the power of municipalities, remarkable progress is possible.”
Urban leaders and city builders will come together in the redeveloped space on November 7 to 9, 2018 for the inaugural Future Cities Canada Summit. The three-day gathering is an opportunity to shape a new urban agenda and fuel real solutions to challenges facing cities today.
Construction continues through 2018 with the completion of exhibition spaces and collaboration studios, as well as the installation and integration of solar panels with the geothermal heating and cooling system. During this construction period, the public is invited to discover Canada’s leading example of adaptive reuse and low carbon innovation through Evergreen’s tour program. The official public opening is scheduled for spring 2019.