In December 2020, the Board of Directors initiated a pre-design study to prepare for future consultations and public information sessions about the project. Read the full pre-design study here.
For TCC, the pre-design phase was used as a mechanism to ensure that the design parameters for the project are defined, creating a context for an inclusive, welcoming project that is representative of the Tamil community and sensitive to other racialized communities in northeast Scarborough. This work points the way to a quality of architecture that helps support the communities’ needs, while being a vessel for the communities’ narratives. The pre-design study shows how we can use the land, both in terms of opportunities and constraints. This study is based on the online consultations conducted to date. These designs are preliminary and will be further refined throughout the course of the project and further consultations.
We kept five guidelines in mind for the design: (1) programming space based on consultations, (2) commitments to the environment, (3) respect to Indigenous communities, (4) solutions to resident concerns, and (5) Tamil culture and history.
The design is inspired by traditional Tamil architecture (a central courtyard), the Tamil language and concepts from ancient Sangam poetry (landscape), and the Tamil people’s history of migration, refuge and asylum (a ship).
The Tamil Community Centre will transform the neighbourhood in Morningside Heights. The social, economic, cultural, political and health aspirations of the community are brought to life in this architectural vision that is more than just a building. It will help build an inclusive community with a commitment to the natural environment.