This Friday, the Pan Am Games will begin its 16 days of celebrations in Toronto, giving the province its “first international multi-sport event since the British Empire Games in 1930.” But the Pan Am/Parapan Am Games are not solely focused on sporting events; architects, artists, and urban designers have been involved in the development of the Games that will leave a legacy for the city.

In an interview with UofT News, Director of the Daniels Faculty's Master of Urban Design program, Mark Sterling, attributes the usability of the Pan Am venues to good planning. “Population in southern Ontario is growing, and provincial plans call for intensification,” writes UofT News. “Because of this, [Sterling] says, most communities had public projects they wanted to undertake, and the Pan Am bid allowed them to leverage the planning that was already underway.”

Alumnus Bruce Kuwabara (BArch 1972) touched on the legacy left by the Athletes’ Village. He, along with architect Peter Clewes is the co-lead architect for this Pan Am/Parapan Am Games site.

“For us, the legacy of the Games is all about creating a sustainable neighbourhood with a mix of uses – not just condos. I don’t think you can make a city with just condos and retail," Kuwabara told U of T News. "The Canary District will have social housing, rental units and student housing. And we had a strategy to try to immediately create a sense of neighbourhood and amenity. For example, Front Street is shifted in its alignment to the south, which makes the north sidewalk east of Cherry Street very wide. It’s like a linear plaza that’s landscaped. You don’t see this anywhere else in Toronto.”

Within this Athletes’ Villiage is the art installation panAMaze designed by DenegriBassai Studio founded by Instructor Maria Denegri and Assistant Professor Tom Bessai.

The rain won't stop us! Making progress at our on-site install for the Pan Am Games. @panam2015 #panamgames pic.twitter.com/1MhMZBvN3o

— DenegriBessai Studio (@DenegriBessai) June 11, 2015

Welcome, Pan Am athletes! We hope you enjoy :) #panAMaze #denegribessai http://t.co/MVTeeGNmDG pic.twitter.com/bnOklrvUbU

— DenegriBessai Studio (@DenegriBessai) July 7, 2015

Further north of the Atheletes’ Village is the sculpture Fairgrounds, one of many artworks installed along the Pan Am Path. Third year Masters of Architecture student, Vineetha Sivathasan, is part of a team of U of T students that submitted the design for an art installation competition hosted by Friends of the Pan Am Path. Fairgrounds is located in the University of Toronto Scarborough zone of the Pan Am Path adjacent to the Para Pan Am tennis facilities, and will be on display until October.

The Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) recognizes the legacy that will be left by the Pan Am/Parapan Am Games. It recently initiated a special series that will be published to the blOOAg titled The Architects Behind the Games. According to the OAA, “From the historic Maple Leaf Gardens to the recently completed Athletes' Village, the Games provide an opportunity to celebrate the work of our members and their essential contributions to this historic event.”

The OAA is encouraging any architects involved (or those who may know someone who was involved) in contributing to the Pan Am/Parapan Am Games to email Joël León, joell@oaa.on.ca with comments and suggestions for their series.

Related:

• From Milton's velodrome to Toronto's West Don Lands: using the Pan Am/Parapan Am Games to build a legacy [U of T News]
• Bruce Kuwabara on “high-speed city building” and the Pan Am/Parapan Am athletes’ village [U of T News]
• "Canary District" Metro Morning speaks to Bruce Kuwabara about Pan Am Games legacy prjects in the city, including a new neighbourhood in the West Donlands [CBC Metro Morning podcast]
• Meet the artists and urban studies students making the Pan Am Path beautiful [U of T News]
• OAA Celebrates Toronto 2015 Pan Am / Parapan Am Games [OAA website]