partisans unveils railway station as first phase of its 'orbit' masterplan in canada

partisans has unveiled its design for the railway station that will form the physical and conceptual heart of ‘the orbit’, a neighborhood the firm is planning for innisfil, ontario. located 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of toronto — canada’s largest city — innisfil is one of the fastest-growing communities in the region. in addition to the train station, the first phase of the ambitious scheme involves residential, employment, and community infrastructure. connecting innisfil to downtown toronto, the station has been designed to integrate landscaping that converts the central infrastructure of the neighborhood into a park-like setting.

all images by norm li

in june 2019, partisans won a public RFP competition from the town of innisfil to create the vision for ‘the orbit’. subsequently, the developers in the area of the project, cortel group, decided to move forward with the vision and commissioned the studio and a team of collaborators — including quadrangle, bousfields, L​EA , and aecom — to realize its plan for housing and infrastructure. this part of the plan intends to support responsible, dense population growth and discourage sprawl, car traffic, the decentralization of civic services, and over-development of the town’s rural surroundings.

the station will form the focal point of a wider masterplan

the direct area surrounding the station will include residential towers with over 900 units, space for retail, employment, and flex spaces to evolve with uses supporting social programming, restaurants, and wellness. partisans developed a bus route to easily transport residents from main hubs and off-site parking lots, in addition to tree-lined walkways and wide bike lanes reducing the town’s dependency on cars. ample green space and parks will be planned throughout the surrounding area, with areas for public art installations. the design has also been adjusted with the post-pandemic era in mind, taking into account the potential increased need for spatial separation and access to quality outdoor space.

project info:

name: the orbit
location: innisfil, canada
architect: partisans
collaborating executive architect:​ quadrangle
planners:​ bousfields
traffic engineering: aecom
structural and station engineering consultants: L​EA
environmental consultants and civil: ​greenland