A high-performance material for a high performance building, mass timber imbues this Toronto community centre and athletics facility with both substance and style. Comprising a bridge spanning two podiums, the building would lie recumbent — like a felled log in a forest — amid the towers of the Golden Mile commercial and residential district. The 110-metre-long upper volume is envisioned to contain a yoga studio, weight rooms and cardio gyms, with the lower volumes housing a café, community meeting rooms and two pools (one for leisure, the other for competitive swimmers), each beneath a ceiling of exposed joists. Completing the holistic concept, the nearby courtyard boasts a splash pad that could double as a skating rink in winter.

Project Horizontal School University of Toronto, Canada Team Siqi Wang and Shawn Dylan Johnston