Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Station

Overview

The Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Station design was developed in response to existing site constraints, available undeveloped land and an evolving vision for a new urban centre. The interchange is well integrated into the future urban context of the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, while offering high quality materials, generous circulation, intuitive wayfinding and efficient bus to subway transfers. It will serve as a catalyst for the growth of a new mixed-use downtown precinct with the built-in potential to connect directly to adjacent developments. The station also provides an unpaid indoor pedestrian link under Highway 7, with the potential to unite the two halves of the future downtown together.

The Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Station is located north of Highway 7 to the west side of the relocated Millway Avenue. It will have a tail track structure extending north of the station box and a crossover box extending south of Highway 7. The station will be a multi-modal transportation hub with a Passenger Pick-Up and Drop-Off, connections to York Region Transit Bus Terminal and to Viva Bus Transit running along Highway 7. The York Region Transit bus terminal and passenger pick-up and drop-off will be owned and maintained entirely by York Region.

The Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Station project incorporates the following environmental initiatives:

• Cool roof to main entrance;
• Green roof to electrical substation;
• Increased daylight levels to reduce electric lighting power usage;
• LED lighting in pylon signs, and energy efficient lighting in illuminated wayfinding signage;
• Water efficient plumbing fixtures;
• Energy efficient heating, air conditioning and ventilation system;
• Reduced storm water runoff into the municipal drainage system by utilizing green roof landscaping and soft landscaping areas adjacent to other building runoff areas;
• Bicycle parking; and
• Landscaping with native and drought tolerant species.

The most distinctive feature of this station is the domed main entrance building with a-zinc standing seam roof. The metal roof will be constructed as a cool roof with a high solar reflectance to reduce heat absorption, and contain skylights to allow daylight to penetrate down to concourse. The dome is supported on a ring-beam clad in prefinished dark grey steel and the building is glazed in bird-friendly fritted glass in curtain wall framing. Bicycle parking will be in the form of post and rings arrayed around both ends of the entrance, located under roof overhangs. The design team has worked with the City of Vaughan to apply environmental standards, such as the Toronto Green Standard, to the subway station. A green roof will be installed on the electrical substation.
 
This station has been designed to maximize potential Transit Oriented Development with seven knockout panels; three south of Highway 7, two north of Highway 7, and two just south of the future Vaughan Street. A single continuous concourse level provides opportunities for three future developer connections to the west of the station, and three to the east. An additional knockout panel is provided at the south end of the concourse for a future secondary entrance. All connections enter into the unpaid circulation area. All future connections to concourse level will be barrier-free.

Follow these links to the TTC Commission Reports and learn more about the conceptual design and features for Station:

• Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension Project – Vaughan Corporate Centre Station – Approval of Conceptual Design
• Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension Project – Vaughan Corporate Centre Station – Approval of Finishes and Artwork  

Design Images

Interior view at Street Level

Concourse View

Platform View

Designated Waiting Area (DWA) at Platform Level

Public Art

Paul Raff Studio

Paul Raff Studio based in Toronto, Ontario has been awarded the public art contract for Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Station. Artwork produced by the Paul Raff Studio is highly integrated into architecture. Mr. Raff is interested in the uniqueness of place, light, and human movement.

The artist is intrigued by the dynamics of people interfacing with the built environment. He has developed a piece called “Atmospheric Lense” which has been approved by the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Art Design Review Committee (ADRC).

Artwork is integrated into the domed ceiling of the entrance building in a collaborative effort by the artist and the architect. The surface of the domed ceiling will be primarily a diffusion with some panels having a more reflective surface to provide a visual depth, optical richness, and subtle shifts of reflection with movement. Within the dome is a collection of apertures with sloping sides culminating in a skylight providing views to the sky. The skylights are oriented to the solar plane, which is emphasized with a surrounding field of reflective panels. The sides of these apertures will be coloured and angled to match the summer and winter solstices, and the spring and fall equinoxes. A fourth element is a glowing disk mounted on top of the elevator shaft so it is not directly visible to patrons, but will be reflected occasionally in the surfaces of the dome to provide a point of reference.

Architect's Concept

Arup Canada Inc. in Association with Grimshaw Architects

The station is necessarily long and narrow. The vision counterpoints this length with a vertical ‘room’ at the centre that generously links all three levels in one grand space. In order to facilitate this concept, the station has been aligned under a linear park which allows for a more generous entry pavilion with extensive glass walls and large floor voids that provide daylight and views down to the concourse level and even down to the platform level. Additionally, a public art piece by Toronto artist Paul Raff is integrated into the domed ceiling of the pavilion capping the vertical room. It utilizes mirrors to create a dynamic three-dimensionally collaged view of life in the station as passengers ascend through the central space.