Canadian Design and Construction Report staff writer
The Ontario government has awarded a $1.04-billion contract to build the new Ontario Science Centre on Toronto’s waterfront, with construction slated to begin this spring.
Premier Doug Ford unveiled the final designs for the facility at Ontario Place on Thursday, announcing the design, build, finance and maintenance contract was awarded to Ontario Science Partners.
Given the scale of the project, the consortium features a team of infrastructure and construction firms including applicant leads John Laing Limited, Sacyr Infrastructure Canada Inc., and Amico Major Projects Inc.
The heavy lifting on the site will be spearheaded by the construction team of Sacyr Canada Inc. and Amico Design Build Inc. The project’s design is being led by Snøhetta Architecture and Landscape Architecture P.C., working alongside Toronto-based Hariri Pontarini Architects. Facilities management will be handled by Johnson Controls Canada L.P.
The new 400,000-sq. ft. facility will feature a 220,000-sq. ft. main building on the mainland, fully modernized and retrofitted pods for science-themed experiences, and an upgraded Cinesphere with double the seating of the former OMNIMAX theatre.
“This is stunning. This is world class and when they first showed me the architectural designs, I was like, ‘Wow, this is going to be world class,'” Ford said at the construction site Thursday, comparing the design to Australia’s Sydney Opera House. “Everyone in the world will be talking about our Ontario Science Centre.”
The facility is targeted to open as early as 2029, integrating into the broader and highly scrutinized redevelopment of Ontario Place. The wider master plan includes an updated Live Nation amphitheatre, a new five-storey parking garage, and a contentious privately operated spa and waterpark by Austria-based Therme Group, which is being designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects.
About 120,000 sq. ft. of the new science centre will be dedicated to direct exhibit space, learning activities and educational workshops. Tourism, Culture and Gaming Minister Stan Cho noted that the former 500,000-sq. ft. facility in east Toronto was inefficiently used, having contained only about 100,000 sq. ft. of permanent exhibit space.
“Our future home will bring science to life in an inclusive and playful way, where visitors, including teachers and students, can experience the wonder of science,” said Paul Kortenaar, chief executive officer of the Ontario Science Centre.
The province abruptly closed the original Raymond Moriyama-designed science centre at 770 Don Mills Rd. in June 2024, citing an engineering report that found critical structural deficiencies with the roof. The decision drew sharp criticism from architectural advocates, local residents and opposition politicians who argued the building could have been safely repaired without a full closure.
Liberal MPP Adil Shamji, whose Don Valley East riding encompasses the former site, criticized the new waterfront design as a “shadow” of the original institution that served the province for more than five decades.
“It will make it more difficult for Ontarians, who are the ones who are footing the bill for this supposedly new science centre … to access it,” Shamji said.
While Ford touted the accessibility of the Ontario Place location, citing nearby GO Transit and future Ontario Line subway stations, critics have pointed out the old site is well-connected by the Eglinton Crosstown LRT and its own planned subway stop.
The new waterfront complex is seeking Rick Hansen Foundation accessibility certification and is designed to feature panoramic views of Lake Ontario, natural light-filled exhibition spaces and acoustic enhancements to the historic Cinesphere.
In the interim, a temporary science centre pop-up location is scheduled to open this summer at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre to provide programming until the permanent facility at Ontario Place is completed.
