Adneth Marie Kaze
Nia Centre for the Arts
Nia Centre for the Arts
The Nia Centre is a Toronto-based not-for-profit organization that supports, showcases, and promotes an appreciation of arts from across the African Diaspora. The vision for the Nia Centre is to create a safe space for young black creatives to express their creativity freely. There is a need for a gathering space free from the mainstream stereotypes and marginalization that permeate every other societal space.
The concept revolves around the idea that the black experience is not a monolith and includes multiple facets interacting together to create a culture. The design strategies follow the ideas of diversity and connectivity as it includes a central courtyard connecting to the three levels and all the program of the building. The program is organized in a way that maximizes interconnecting floor space and open spaces. By scattering the program all over the building, it allows for users to be exposed to different activities taken part in the building. This sense of diversity within this community allows the building to become a whole.
The Nia Center Is more than a Performing Arts Centre, it becomes a tool to strengthen the sense of community within Little Jamaica. For this project, I chose to build on the Oakwood Avenue and Vaughan Road “Five Points” Intersection, representing, by itself a focal point connecting to the rest of the neighbourhood.
The concept revolves around the idea that the black experience is not a monolith and includes multiple facets interacting together to create a culture. The design strategies follow the ideas of diversity and connectivity as it includes a central courtyard connecting to the three levels and all the program of the building. The program is organized in a way that maximizes interconnecting floor space and open spaces. By scattering the program all over the building, it allows for users to be exposed to different activities taken part in the building. This sense of diversity within this community allows the building to become a whole.
The Nia Center Is more than a Performing Arts Centre, it becomes a tool to strengthen the sense of community within Little Jamaica. For this project, I chose to build on the Oakwood Avenue and Vaughan Road “Five Points” Intersection, representing, by itself a focal point connecting to the rest of the neighbourhood.
