Toronto U of T: Jackman Law Building Expansion | ?m | 3s | U of T | Hariri Pontarini

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AlvinofDiaspar

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From U of T Governing Council, Planning and Budget Committee:

www.utoronto.ca/govcncl/b...0-07ii.pdf

After many months of consultation, the Project Committee has concluded that the ideal development plan for the law school is to vacate Falconer Hall and consolidate its program on an expanded Flavelle site. This plan envisions a new southern entrance to the law campus, strengthening the Faculty’s presence on Queen’s Park and connecting it more closely to the rest of the St. George Campus.

The Project Committee envisions a landmark building that will be an important part of the architectural renaissance of the city. The law school is one of Canada’s great public institutions, whose building should engage and inspire members of our community and members of the public. The law building should be a beautiful space that encourages people to come together and share ideas. It should contain spaces that are suitable for conferences and other public gatherings on key issues of public policy. It should also reflect the Faculty of Law’s public values, which include a commitment to environmental sustainability and to physical accessibility.
(p. 4-5)

AoD
 
I'm all for environmental sustainability and accessibility, but honestly trumpeting this horn is well past being an old tune. Every building should have these characteristics, and there should be much more imagination coming from professional architects, planners and so on.
 
They tore down their wrought iron fence along Queen's Park last week. I doubt they're preparing for construction already so they must just be replacing the fence...maybe it's related to Philosopher's Walk improvements?
 
U of T: Law Faculty Expansion

Three firms shortlisted to expand University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law


Over the past decade, the U of T Faculty of Law has witnessed tremendous growth, and their existing facilities and physical space in Flavelle House and Falconer Hall can no longer support the law school's current programmatic needs or anticipated future needs. Consequently, in June 2007, the Faculty issued an Expression of Interest to firms across Canada and internationally, to seek a broad range of expertise and creative input on the kind of design space that could be created on the Faculty's existing site.

The Faculty of Law is located in an important institutional setting. It is prominently located and accessed from Queen's Park Crescent, a main city thoroughfare, but also the formal symbolic edge to the largest open space in downtown Toronto. The Expression of Interest asked firms to take advantage of the law school's prominent location by introducing new physical and visual connections with both Queen's Park and Philosopher's Walk, keeping in mind that the precinct should not be considered in isolation, but rather as part of an integrated campus system. The request was for innovative design approaches for the creation of a landmark institutional precinct that will accommodate and augment the Faculty's historic buildings, engage and inspire members of our community, reflect a commitment to leading-edge environmental sustainability and physical accessibility, and play an important part in the architecture of the city.

In order to ensure a broad and diverse range of design expertise and ideas, the Faculty advertised both nationally and internationally, and specifically targeted a number of well known and highly acclaimed firms. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with the Faculty receiving submissions from a broad array of leading Canadian and international firms.

Following receipt of the submissions on June 27, a selection committee of university delegates and faculty members carefully reviewed each of the proposals. From the numerous firms that expressed an interest, six were shortlisted, and asked to prepare and give presentation/interviews to a committee comprised of representatives from the architectural community, university delegates, members of the law school, and Lisa Rochon, architectural critic for The Globe and Mail.

On July 6, the selection committee met with each of the six chosen firms for presentations of ideas. The committee was extremely pleased with the quality and depth of the presentations, which were all highly creative with a number of innovative and exciting ideas for how the Faculty's space needs could be met with new additions and extensive renovations. After lengthy discussion and deliberation, the selection committee reached a consensus around three exceptional architectural firms that would be asked to work on the development studies and which were submitted on September 21.

The three leading Canadian architectural firms that will be preparing conceptual designs for the new law school building and precinct are:

* Hariri Pontarini Architects of Toronto
* Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects of Toronto
* Saucier + Perrotte Architectes of Montreal

Throughout the fall and winter 2007/08, Dean Mayo Moran will be meeting with various groups, including alumni and friends of the law school, members of the legal community, and faculty, staff and students, to elicit feedback and ideas around the three models and proposed design plans. Public presentations and exhibits are also scheduled for this time
 
This seems a potential parallel situation to the ROM: a tacit declaration that the 80s expansion was banal and architecturally misguided....
 
If Trinity ends up building a residence tower on its parking lot, that will mean pretty much everything within the St. George-Bloor-Queen's Park-Hoskin zone that can be redeveloped will have been done in a span of about 20 years.
 
If Trinity ends up building a residence tower on its parking lot, that will mean pretty much everything within the St. George-Bloor-Queen's Park-Hoskin zone that can be redeveloped will have been done in a span of about 20 years.

I think there's still a gravel lot behind Woodsworth on Devonshire.
 
Isn't the Centre for High Performance Sport going there?
http://www.urbantoronto.ca/showthread.php?t=5885

From the Rotman expansion report linked in the other thread:
"Site 12, 100 Devonshire Place, is being considered as a possible site for a proposed Student Commons, the proposed Varsity Centre for High Performance in Sport and may also include the Rotman Executive Development Programs and affiliated research centres."
 
Robart's could always be redeveloped--20 stories of library+20 stories of residences.

There's all those old Victorian's UofT owns around Sussex/Huron.

Many more clunkers (Sid) on St George and Huron that could have increased densities. The Robert St playing field.

I hope Saucier+Perotte wins.
 

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