A mixed-use headquarters for the Labourers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA) Local 183 will break ground in The City of Vaughan this fall.

Diamond Schmitt Architects has been selected to design the 295,000-square-foot building, which will house offices and amenity space for the largest construction local union on the continent.

The design features a six-storey tower and three-storey wing that sits dramatically on an Assembly Hall, which is buried in the landscape. This assemblage provides views and visual connection to a large landscaped forecourt designed for social gathering.

“The project creates an urban sense of place in a currently undifferentiated agricultural environment and, as the first building in a larger master plan, establishes a high standard for future developments,” said David Dow, principal, Diamond Schmitt Architects.

There will be an office wing and an array of member’s services that may include medical clinic facilities, a pharmacy, financial services, training classrooms and recreational facilities for retired members. The Assembly Hall will have capacity to accommodate 3,000 diners.

The building is designed as an innovative and distinctive headquarters for Local 183. Large contiguous floor plates facilitate the varied requirements of a dynamic and contemporary working environment and provide a fresh identity for an established institution.

The soft landscaping will extend up and over top of the Assembly Hall with access to portions of the building’s rooftops. This amenity activates the outdoor space to socialize in a protected microclimate and supports the project’s LEED Silver sustainability goals for storm water retention and heat island reduction.

With a target opening for 2020, the facility will have a strong street presence along an expanded Huntington Road with points of entry to underground and at grade parking from three sides. New public roads to the west and south boundaries of the site and an extension of Highway 427 prime the area for future development.