Ismaili Centre, Toronto

The Ismaili Centre, Toronto
The glass roof of the Ismaili Centre, Toronto's distinctive prayer hall.
Basic information
Affiliation	Nizari Ismaili Muslim
Leadership	Aga Khan IV
Website	http://www.theismaili.org/ismailicentre/toronto
Architectural description
Architect(s)	Charles Correa Associates
Architectural type	Jama'at Khana
Groundbreaking	May 28, 2010
Completed	2014

Coordinates: 43°43′27″N 79°20′01″W / 43.724112°N 79.333538°W / 43.724112; -79.333538

The Ismaili Centre, Toronto is the sixth such Ismaili Centre in the world. Situated in a park that it shares with the Aga Khan Museum adjacent to the Don Valley Parkway in Toronto, the Centre represents the permanent presence of the Ismaili Muslim community in Toronto and Canada. The building was opened by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Mawlana Hazar Imam on September 12, 2014.

The Ismaili Centre, Toronto is situated along Wynford Drive in Toronto’s Don Mills neighbourhood. It is visible from the adjacent Don Valley Parkway, and shares a 6.8 hectare site with the Aga Khan Museum. The two buildings are surrounded by a landscaped park.

Formally announced in 2002, the Ismaili Centre had its foundation ceremony on May 28, 2010. The ceremony was performed by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Mawlana Hazar Imam, together with the foundation of the Aga Khan Museum and their shared park. Construction of the $300 million development finished in 2014, and represents a significant addition and shift in the landscape of Toronto’s cultural institutions.

The Ismaili Centre, Toronto was designed by Indian architectural firm Charles Correa Associates in collaboration with Toronto-based Moriyama & Teshima Architects. A distinguishing feature of the building is the glass roof of the prayer hall, which recalls the corbelling in many of the traditional domes in the Muslim world. The glass dome, which represented a difficult technical challenge, is made of two layers of high-performance glass, and fritted to deflect the heat of the sun. A clear sliver of glass facing east toward Mecca will run down the translucent roof.

The Ismaili Centre is set in a landscaped park, composed of both formal and informal gardens. Designed by Lebanese landscape-architect Vladimir Djurovic, the park connects the Centre with the adjacent Aga Khan Museum. Djurovic described his vision for the park as one that “captures the essence of the Islamic garden and translates it into an expression that reflects its context and contemporary age.”