The Portage Youth Centre was designed to accommodate 14 to 16 youth in both secure and open custody. It is the first such facility in all of Ontario.

The building makes extensive use of precast concrete for floors, exterior walls and partitions for reasons of durability. The roof structure consists of parallam wood joists and beams on steel columns. Of particular note is the Solar Wall used for preheating make-up air. Exterior sunshades provide additional control for passive solar gain.