Public art play structure by Dan Young & Christian Giroux “Reticulated Gambol”. The project uses CSA-certified playground equipment arranged on a symmetrical 12m grid.

Splash pad along the north end of the park.

The public art play structure was sited to anchor the east end of the Lee Centre Park.

An aerial view of the Lee Centre development, south of the 401 Expressway. The central park is well buffered from this major transportation corridor.

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Lee CentreScarborough Centre, Toronto

What makes this neighbourhood work for children & youth?

• Open Space: The development frames a public park that focuses on children’s play equipment.

• Public Art: The play equipement was made possible through the public art program and was designed by artists.

PROJECT INFORMATIONAddress: 1, 8, 11, 18, 36 and 38 Lee Centre Drive

Developer: Lee Developments Inc

Architects/Designers: Various including: Zeidler Roberts Partnership Architects; Page + Steele Architects; Kirkor Architects & Planners, PMA Landscape Architects Year Completed: 2004

Built Form: Six tall buildings, ranging in height between 21-34 storeys with at grade retail and townhouses

BREAKDOWNTotal Units: 1766, combination of 1 Bedroom, 1 Bedroom + Den, 2 Bedroom, and 2 Bedroom + Den

The Lee Centre is a neighborhood of six residential tall buildings organized around a central public park, Lee Centre Park, and ringed by a new public road. This neighbourhood is in Scarborough Centre, in the McCowan Precinct, near Bellamy Road and Progress Avenue. Although the site is next to the 401 Expressway, the building massing was used to buffer the neighbourhood and support a comfortable central open space for children.

Lee Centre Park is programmed with a splash pad and a play structure that is both a jungle gym and contemporary artwork. This is the first example in Toronto where the Public Art Program was used to create a play structure in a public park. The artists and the landscape architects worked collaboratively to develop a functional and interactive play space. The artwork’s rigid grid system sets it apart from the multi-coloured, asymmetrical elements found in the rest of the playground.

Active Transportation(safety)

Proximity to Shops/Services

Proximity to Public Transit

Proximity to Parks & Open Green Space