As the second largest city in Ontario, Mississauga will soon become home to a state-of-the-art Innovation District aiming to become Canada’s biggest technology and research center, and its new Innovation Capital.
The Innovation District is one of numerous ambitious elements planned to define Lakeview Village, a 177-acre mixed-use waterfront community being built on the site of the former Lakeview Generating Station, transforming it from an underdeveloped area inaccessible by the public into a vibrant waterfront micro-city.
In addition to the Innovation District, Lakeview Village will revitalize the waterfront with a variety of housing choices, education and business facilities, multicultural and year-round recreational activities, an extensive parks system with access to Jim Tovey Conservation Area trails and pathways, as well as direct transit connections.
With Lake Ontario as its expansive backdrop, The Innovation District is centrally located along the Toronto-Waterloo Innovation Corridor, part of Canada’s largest tech cluster and Canada’s largest manufacturing and automotive corridors. The Corridor is connected by Canada’s largest superhighway and regional rail network that is projected to grow even further with multi-million dollar investments and ambitious plans for expanding rail service through the region. Its strategic positioning will allow the Innovation District to become the future location of thousands of tech jobs for skilled professionals, and establish Mississauga as an emerging global hub for business.
Strategically located in close proximity to Pearson International Airport and an advancing transit and mobility network, the Innovation District will attract leading tech and multinational companies to drive investment and economic growth for the City and the Region.
This is set to become the largest hub for innovation and research in Canada. Built within a vibrant mixed-use community, this 20+ acre district will be a centre for cross-sector business innovation, paving the way for creative problem-solving in climate change, energy resilience, the advancement in medical technologies and the preservation of our Great Lakes.
Located within the master-planned Lakeview Village community, the district will streamline collaboration between businesses and professionals and foster a thriving ecosystem for research and technology development.
Striking architectural design, open space working environments, and proximity to integrated regional transit routes, the Innovation District is purpose-built to attract globally leading high-tech firms, technology incubators, and startups. Collaboration is a key focus here and drives the design strategy.
The state-of-the-art Innovation District stands on the sustainable foundation of Lakeview Village and will propel Mississauga toward sustained economic prosperity. By serving as a central hub, the district will stimulate a thriving business community that will attract and retain a diverse pool of talent, creating over 9,000 local jobs.
Built for community interaction and enjoyment, the new Discovery Centre is set against a backdrop of walkable trails and the waterfront, creating a welcoming and energetic atmosphere. The Discovery District launched in April 2022, representing a milestone achievement and an architectural landmark for the local community and future residents to discover and engage with at Lakeview Village. This is the first completed building on the Lakeview Village site, reflecting a steadfast commitment to developing Lakeview as a community destination, sales centre and hub for local artists, events and exhibitions.
Designed by Q4 Architects with interiors by II BY IV Design, the Discovery Centre’s modern architecture beautifully captures the intersection of meaningful community connection and sustainable development, reflecting the guiding principles behind Lakeview Village. Its sustainable design offers places to gather and experience outdoor public art celebrating and honouring the work of local artists. It gives visitors and future homeowners a chance to truly “discover” the guiding principles of the project by interacting with various aspects of them, such as construction and materiality, and cutting-edge technology.
A place of connection and discovery, the Discovery Centre is also a gateway to the larger Lakeview Village site – a network of walkable trails and cycling routes, a new recreational field, a seasonal art trail featuring commissioned works by local artists and stunning waterfront views.
Reflecting the site’s transformation, the centre reimagines the land’s former occupant, a coal-burning powerplant known as the ‘Four Sisters Smokestacks,” as four large windows, drawing light into the space during the day and framing the building at night. Sustainability, innovation and environmental stewardship are at the core of Lakeview Village. Designed with these principles in mind, the Discovery Centre brings nature indoors through a number of features to encourage authentic, meaningful connections to the environment and future Lakeview Village community:
The first floor of Discovery District is dedicated to builder exhibitions, creating a digitally immersive sales experience that unites the Phase 1 Builders, Branthaven, Caivan, Greenpark Group, DECO, Opus Homes, and Tridel to showcase prospective homeowners a diverse range of offerings, complete with floral installations, a wrap-around living green wall and anchored by a large, scaled model of Lakeview Village, one of Canada’s largest, most interactive and dynamic model developments. A showroom for sales and showcasing the product offering from the various builder groups.
On the second floor, visitors can take in scenic views of the waterfront, the green roof, living green walls and digital murals via the large screens in the lobby. An outdoor courtyard serves as additional space for community gatherings, musical events and art exhibitions hosted by Lakeview Village’s resident artists. Looking south over sculptures, the art trail and further to the lake, this terrace lends a moment of pause and brings future residents to an incredible viewing point where they can see the full scope of the community.
The Discovery District’s rood is a thriving ecosystem of over 1500 native plants from 30 different species, the roof is made of 100% recycled materials and provides refuge and habitat for birds, bees, and butterflies while enhancing biodiversity, stormwater management, and acting as a seed orchard for future green roof projects.
Provides views out toward the green roof, allowing visitors to see its transformation throughout the seasons.
A testament to sustainable building, the Living Wall is a wrap-around green wall featuring a diverse ecosystem with over 20 different plant species that augments the building’s interior, drawing on the tenets of biophilic design while improving air quality increasing humidity, to provide a more comfortable indoor environment.
A space made for creative arts, informal gatherings, and supporting the coming together of our community. As part of Lakeview Village’s vision and commitment to transforming Mississauga’s waterfront, the developers launched a partnership with Artscape Atelier in 2020 and have commissioned a variety of public art to animate the site throughout the construction phase while creating opportunities for artists to meaningfully participate in community-building. In addition to existing artwork across the development site, the Discovery Centre features an array of new, interactive work by local contemporary artists:
A showcase of Sage Glass technology and the home of a lush living wall that oxygenates the air we breathe. Advanced glass technology is used to optimize daylight, manage heat and reduce energy consumption while maintaining panoramic views of the surrounding area, the glass, doors and railings have also been glazed with bird-friendly film to mitigate day and nighttime collisions while making the building less dangerous to migratory birds.
The completion of the Discovery Centre marks the culmination of years of incredible, collaborative work and visionary planning, and reveals what’s in store for Lakeview Village. Together, we are bringing Canada’s most transformative waterfront community to the shores of Lake Ontario, and we are honoured to invite you all to come and experience it. - Brian Sutherland, Vice-President of Development, Argo Development Corporation and development lead for Lakeview Village.
From a City-building perspective, the Innovation District will ensure that Lakeview Village is a genuine complete community that balances employment and population through the creation of high-quality, knowledge-intensive jobs. From an economic development perspective, the creation of the Innovation District will be an opportunity to anchor Mississauga’s entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem within its innovation identity IDEA Mississauga – Mississauga’s newly-revealed entrepreneurship and innovation market identifier.
Learn more about residential opportunities at Lakeview Village.
