With a flurry of (mostly) Downtown high-rise construction occupying the last decade's civic imagination, we are occasionally guilty of overlooking the positive urbanism initiatives that have taken place further afield in Toronto. A prime example of this is Centennial College's newly revamped Ashtonbee Campus, which is now in the midst of a large-scale expansion and renewal project.

The exterior of the Ashtonbee Campus' new library, image courtesy of MJM Arhictects

Situated in Scarborough's Golden Mile, near Warden and Eglinton, the campus now greets visitors and passerby with a declarative new glass bridge—housing the College's library and student centre—over the main entrance.  Featuring the Centennial College name emblazoned across the glass, the landmark quality gateway to education is representative of the campus' new look, which is characterized by a bright and welcoming learning environment.

Looking north from Hakimi Avenue, image courtesy of MJM Architects

According to designers MJM Architects, the 87,000 sqaure foot project gives the campus an "enhanced identity" in Toronto's educational landscape, serving as not only an entryway, but also an emblem of the school beyond it. Together with a newly expanded recreation and athletic centre and a series of renovated wayfinding installations, the library complex, which also houses a student centre, formed the first phase (in orange, below) of the Asthonbee Campus' renewal project.

A map situating the new library (far right) within the context of ongoing expansion plans, image courtesy of MJM Architects

Now completed, the first phase of renovation and expansion was marked by the opening of the recreation centre in 2013, and was more recently followed by the opening of the library building in 2014. The space created by moving the library to its current location also facilitated the creation of a new campus bookstore in place of the old library. The new library, meanwhile, provides more study space—and a better ambiance—than its predecessor.

A look at the interior of the library, image courtesy of MJM Architects

Though the new spaces have already transformed the campus and given it a new public face, a second phase of reconstruction and expansion still awaits in the longer-term future, with no immediate time-frame set. The second phase (shown in light yellow on the map) would substantially increase the campus' footprint, almost doubling its current space.

Looking up from the sidewalk, image courtesy of MJM Architects

We will make sure to keep you updated on the ambitious future of Centennial College's Ashtonbee Campus as new details come to light. In the meantime, we can enjoy the presence of a new work of architecture, that, despite being outside the city's urban centre, does not deserve remain to remain outside our civic consciousness.