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Evergreen transformed an old brick factory into a green oasis in the heart of Toronto’s ravines. Evergreen Brick Works is a climate ready space where nature and community come together.
Want to know what’s on at the Brick Works? Curious about the best ways to get to the site? Or perhaps you’re interested in exciting events that we have coming up?
Back in 2010, Evergreen transformed a collection of deteriorating heritage buildings into a global showcase for green design. Today, these buildings make up Evergreen Brick Works, Canada’s first large-scale community environmental centre in the heart of Toronto.
A green oasis, Evergreen Brick Works is open year-round. The site and surrounding trails and ravines welcome more than 500,000 annual visitors to experience its public markets, participate in conferences and events, enjoy outdoor learning and nature play, and explore public art. This magical place surprises people. It’s a place that shows what’s possible when public places are designed thoughtfully with community and nature at their heart. It’s where we showcase how incorporating regenerative practices and climate readiness into the design of public places helps them heal and grow, much like the human body after an injury. And it’s our testing ground for new ideas for better public places that we can then scale to projects and initiatives across the country.
Evergreen Brick Works is an example to people all over the world that public places have the power to connect people to each other, their communities, nature, and our planet. The activities you participate in here shape how Evergreen can build low-carbon cities in the future. The public markets act as incubators for small businesses, pilot programs in the Children’s Garden are a testing ground for loose parts and risk in play, and the redevelopment of the historic kiln building supports our target of becoming a carbon-neutral campus. Successful ideas are then scaled and implemented across Canada through Evergreen’s projects.
Evergreen Brick Works is a hub for community members, business, academia, and government to gather and learn about how to create regenerative places in our cities where nature has the time and space to heal while bringing people together.
Evergreen Brick Works is a social enterprise, with all money made on site being channelled into our vital work within communities. The goal over the coming years is to increase our fundraising efforts so we can ensure that our site is a shining beacon for public places.
With over 50% of all people living in cities today — and that number rising to 70-80% by 2050 — cities will be the frontline in our fight against the climate crisis. Public spaces designed as climate-ready spaces with nature-based solutions can be multi-solvers. Evergreen Brick Works is an internationally renowned showcase of sustainability and green design. Here are some of our sustainable highlights:
As a former industrial site transformed into a thriving community space.
Our public markets program test new ideas and scale solutions in sustainable ideas for public markets across the country.
The green design and construction enable the Evergreen Brick Works site to be near carbon neutral.
Bike-friendly, proximity to trails, TTC service available and the free Evergreen Brick Works shuttle bus encourages sustainable transit.
The Centre for Green Cities, our newest building on-site, holds a Platinum LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
The gardens and regenerative landscapes at Evergreen Brick Works aim to restore the ecological integrity of the area.
The programs at Evergreen Brick Works, whether virtual or in person, are amazing! They help connect students to the animals and plants right outside their door. The focus on local flora and fauna makes these programs unique and essential in helping children build a genuine reciprocal connection to the land. The educators are filled with enthusiasm and meet each class at their level.
Want to learn more about Evergreen Brick Works? Check out our latest stories.
Over the next five years, we want Evergreen Brick Works to be a place that everyone in the Greater Toronto Area and beyond can enjoy. That means bringing more voices into the design of the site, expanding the programs we offer so more people benefit, and ensuring that every single person who visits walks away not only feeling a deep sense of belonging but also an experience of how public places are vital to our social fabric and are truly boundless in their power to connect us to what matters most.
Work in progress: From October 2024 to Spring 2025, we’re making exciting improvements to the amphitheatre and fireside experience in the Children’s Garden. The Children’s Garden will be closed during that time.
The future will be defined by the actions we take today. So whether you’re looking to volunteer, donate, or partner with us, we’d love you to be part of bringing this work to life.
