The Lakeview Village Discovery Centre was designed as a sustainable, iconic gateway for a new 9.000 unit waterfront community in Mississauga, Ontario.
Q4A designed the Discovery Centre to combine community uses, a visitor center and sales pavilion to provide a prominent sense of place for the future development
Lakeview Village Discovery Centre
The Discovery Centre is a new community hub along Mississauga’s emerging waterfront. The building serves as a community space and presentation centre for Lakeview Village.
As the inaugural building for the master-planned community, the Discovery Centre sets the tone for the iconic vision, quality and design excellence to come at Lakeview Village. The building is envisioned as a landmark, with spaces for culinary uses, arts, and cultural events, while offering an enhanced experience for the public to learn more about the future community.
Our studio drew inspiration from the site’s past to inform its design, while fusing modern elements throughout to establish a 21st century vision for a waterfront community. The Discovery Centre’s façade, featuring a mix of wood, brick and glazing, thoughtfully reflects the site’s industrial past as a coal-fire station.
The design extends to reflect the neighbouring buildings, such as the Small Arms Inspection Building. Four vertical elements reference the “Four Sisters”: chimneys of the old Lakeview Generating Station, while a sloping green roof can be viewed from the street-level, exemplifying the team’s commitment to sustainability.
Other sustainable features include free EV chargers for the public and a water harvesting system for irrigation around the site.
Upon entry, visitors are greeted by a stunning double-height pavilion featuring smart glass that refracts blue hues into the expansive space, creating a seamless connection from the outdoors in. Rotating digital artwork by local artists is also on display in the pavilion and a wraparound floor-to-ceiling green wall with native plantings becomes a crowning feature of the space.
The Centre includes multiple flexible rooms that provide options for community activities, meetings, and sales galleries to support the various phases of the development. A lounge on the second floor and a dedicated community room creates endless opportunities for gatherings and events.
An expansive outdoor terrace provides sweeping views of the adjacent green roof, the entire Lakeview Village site and Lake Ontario.
The Discovery Centre represents a thoughtful approach to designing a flexible and responsive space that can service both sales functions and community uses – serving as a model for placemaking and meaningful community infrastructure in master-planned communities.
