Final designs for Science Centre’s new Ontario Place location unveiled

Months after the controversial closure of the Ontario Science Centre, the province has unveiled the final designs for the long-standing Toronto institution’s new Ontario Place location.

Today, the Ontario government announced that Ontario Science Partners, a collaboration that includes Hariri Pontarini Architects (the firm currently redeveloping the McMichael Canadian Art Collection and OpenROM), has been awarded a fixed-price contract of $1.04 billion to design, build, finance and maintain the new Science Centre.

The province closed the Science Centre’s Don Mills Road location in 2024, citing safety issues with the roof as a primary factor in its decision. As of December 2025, the Harbourfront Centre is being used as an interim location for the facility. 

In a news release, the province said the new Science Centre will span 400,000 square feet and include a state-of-the-art building, an integrated pod complex, new interactive exhibits and an improved and upgraded Cinesphere.

The province said it’s aiming to complete construction in 2029.

The new Science Centre, a significant component of the massive Ontario Place redevelopment plan, could create more than 1,000 construction jobs and enhance tourism long-term. 

“With state-of-the-art facilities that offer more space for visitors, interactive exhibits and programming, the new Ontario Science Centre will continue five decades of tradition, inspiring the next generation of young people,” Premier Doug Ford said in a statement. 

“As part of the revitalized Ontario Place, the Science Centre will be a historic landmark on Toronto’s waterfront and skyline, attracting millions of visitors a year.”

The overall Ontario Place redevelopment project, which will include a waterpark and spa run by Therme, has been the subject of heated debate, with a 2024 auditor general report indicating that costs have ballooned since the redevelopment project was proposed. In 2019, Infrastructure Ontario estimated the final cost would be between $335 million and $424 million. In 2024, cost estimates, which included the new Science Centre, came to $2.2 billion. 

Ontario Place, which first opened in 1971, was closed to the public in 2012 after years of financial losses.

While there has been controversy over the spa, parking, and the removal of on-site trees, the province has moved forward with plans to significantly overhaul the waterfront property. Once complete, the new Ontario Place will be open 365 days a year and much of the site will be free to access, including five news spaces (Water’s Edge, Brigantine Cove, Forum, Marina and Mainland). 

The province also said the site will include new trails and parkland, beaches and waterfront areas with expanded access to Lake Ontario, a one-acre splash fountain, picnic areas, children’s playgrounds, lookout points, event and celebration spaces, public art, space for festivals, markets and more. The Ontario government’s website also states that the project includes new shoreline and flood-protection elements. 

The Feb. 26 news release says the new Science Centre will boast a state-of-the-art mainland building that will be used for programming, exhibitions, workshops and more. Along with new pods, the long-standing Cinesphere will, according to the province, undergo acoustic upgrades to enhance the IMAX theatre. There are also plans to expand the Cinesphere to include more seating.  

“The Ontario Science Centre’s future is so exciting with limitless potential for unforgettable programming,” said Paul Kortenaar, CEO of the Ontario Science Centre, in a statement. 

“Our future home will bring science to life in an inclusive and playful way, where visitors, including teachers and students, can experience the wonder of science.”

Once complete, the site will also feature a redesigned RBC Amphitheatre. Currently operating as the Budweiser Stage, Live Nation Canada says a planned overhaul of the concert venue will increase summer lawn seating and add movable enclosures for winter concerts.

It will close for renovations in fall 2027, reopen in spring 2029 as an outdoor stage, and debut as an all-year venue by summer 2030.

As for the spa, Therme Canada unveiled the updated design for its waterpark and wellness facility at Ontario Place last year. 

The 95-year agreement will allow the private company to build a 65,000-square-metre, seven-storey indoor private wellness facility and water park on the West Island of Ontario Place.

In a previous news release, Therme ARC–which developed the project in partnership with architecture firm Diamond Schmitt, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, STUDIO tla, and Trophic Design–said the waterpark and wellness centre will include waterslides, thermal bathing, social saunas, pools, restaurants and relaxation areas. 

While spas are not typically associated with children, the news release indicates that the project, once complete, will pay homage to the family-friendly nature of the one-time amusement park, offering slides, wave pools and food and beverage areas geared towards guests of all ages. 

In a news release, the province said Ontario Place can be easily accessed by the Ontario Line, a new subway line that’s currently under construction, with an estimated completion date in the early 2030s. 

The province says the overall Ontario Place redevelopment plan will create more than 5,700 jobs and add $420 million to Ontario’s GDP during construction. Once complete, Ontario Place is estimated to welcome up to six million visitors per year.