Muskoka Lumber Community Centre

MJMA Architecture & Design

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Known for its connections to Lake Muskoka and the Canadian Shield, the Town of Bracebridge is home to local residents and over 100,000 seasonal property owners. As a result, its aging Memorial Arena and Carnegie Library were under pressure. The co-location of the library and arena, along with the addition of a banquet hall, field house and local ‘Hall of Fame,’ offered the opportunity to create a landmark facility, requiring a new brand. The brief called for colour, materials and an environmental graphics program to have a “Made-in Muskoka” look and feel. 

The branding and graphic program creates clear navigation throughout the new complex while grounding the facility in the cultural and natural heritage of Bracebridge. Inspired by a strong sense of place, the design is expressed through its connection to site (seasonal shifts in colour), connection to donor (donated lumber) and connection to tradition (stacked hand-painted family cottage road signs). These sources of inspiration informed the identity, shaping elements such as exterior signage, a donor wall, room and directional signage, arena graphics and seating patterns, court configuration lines on the field house floor and custom pictograms. It creates a holistic, inclusive space that promotes wellness in all its forms.

Credits

Experiential Graphic Design Partner: Tim Belanger 

Interiors Partner: Tarisha Dolyniuk 

Architecture Partner: Ted Watson 

Experiential Graphic Design Lead: Raymundo Pavan 

Graphic Designers: Lucas Postlethwaite Associate RGD, Natalia Ultremari, Lily Watson 

Project Manager: Ricardo Duque 

Design Team: Monica Leung, Krista Clark, Brad Vokey, Melissa Lui, Hyaeinn Lee