Ismaili Centres are found in 25 countries, marking the presence of this branch of Shi’a Islam in communities around the world. When complete, the Ismaili Centre & Jamatkhana of Don Mills will celebrate more than 50 years since the first immigration of Ismailis to the Greater Toronto Area, and mark the site of the first Ismaili prayer hall in Ontario.

The site is located in a low-density employment zone in Toronto’s Thorncliffe Park, a suburban Toronto neighbourhood near the Don River. Thorncliffe Park was established in the 1950s as an employment and residential node, and is still constrained by the segregated land uses imposed by mid-century urban planning. The Don Mills Jamatkhana re-defines what constitutes “highest and best use” in Toronto’s suburban neighbourhoods. It will reinforce the work of a vital community gathering place, and offer a model for expressive, flexible community facilities outside the dense street grid of the old City of Toronto.

Rooted in the rich tapestry of Islamic heritage and traditions, the design of the Don Mills Jamatkhana references traditional spaces and symbolic motifs of the Ismaili community within the idiom of a modern architectural design. The programme incorporates a prayer hall, gymnasium, library, food drop-off area, administrative offices and multi-purpose teaching spaces for the community. Further, an extensive roof garden provides respite from the city and a platform from which to view the Don Valley. The form, program and circulation are inspired by Islamic calligraphy, the interplay of horizontal and vertical elements, and traditional principles of Persian garden design.

The architecture shuns grandeur for an egalitarianism that reflects how the Jamatkhana will be built and supported directly through the contributions of the community it serves. Against the suburban landscape, the Jamatkhana distinguishes itself through the re-imagined application of conventional materials in unexpected ways. The notion of "Light" was a particular inspiration which the design aimed to celebrate and embody. Highly graphic double skin composed of a perforated metal screen drapes over a conventional facade of vision glass and metals. The spaces between the outer screen and inner façade project dappled light onto the overall façade, while careful window placement direct patterned light onto interior spaces. Strategic light direction is used in various ways: sawtooth skylights pour light into the prayer hall; fritted glass roof panels illuminate corridors; perforations in the walls between the east and west quadrants penetrate light deep into the two-storey central skylit circulation spine, casting moving patterns throughout the day.

The Ismaili Council of Canada intends this new facility as a space for all residents of Thorncliffe Park, a community in which 40% of the population was born outside Canada, 51% are couples with children, 30% are children and youth, and 25% are elders.