Toronto isn't exactly a college town. While the city's four major universities—and various post-secondary institutions and campuses—make for a sizeable student population, Toronto's size means that university campuses don't always feel like the centre of the student community to the extent seen in smaller towns. Combined with the sizeable commuter populations at U of T, Ryerson, and York, Toronto's three largest universities have chronically struggled to foster a sense of community among students, particularly in large undergraduate programs. In recent years, however, that's beginning to change—and it's changing through design. 

Ryerson's Student learning Centre, image by Jimmy Wu

Across the three campuses, new facilities and public realm improvements are changing how the students meet the campus—and, in turn, one another. On Yonge Street, Ryerson University's Student Learning Centre gives the campus a gateway to the city while providing a collection of flexible and attractive spaces for students to study and—just as importantly—linger. The school's new public realm plan also aims to introduce a more pedestrian-friendly ambiance to the campus.

Rendering of new public realm at Ryerson, image courtesy of Ryerson University

At the University of Toronto, the St. George Campus is poised to embark upon a thorough revitalization, prioritizing quality of space to create more sociable outdoor environments. Meanwhile, new facilities like the Daniels Faculty—now into the latter stages of construction on Spadina Crescent—increasingly emphasize communal space and social uses, creating a place to be as much as a place to learn. 

A revamped St. George Campus, image courtesy of KPMB, MMVA, Urban Strategies

All of this brings us to York University, where an ambitious student centre is now starting construction. Located at the centre of campus, the CannonDesign facility replaces part of an existing green space above Sentinel Road. Encircled by existing buildings, the glassy structure will house a flexible array of student-operated programming, combining study and studio spaces with club offices, multi-faith prayer space, a communal lounge, and an event space that can host up to 600 people. 

Evening view from Pond Road, image courtesy of CannonDesign

As Cannon's Hector Tuminan explains, the design was guided by input from students. "A lot of what you see in the design is directly drawn from student comments," says Tuminan, describing a consultation process that saw over 11,000 student surveys (and 146 student club surveys) collected in order to gauge needs and priorities. The emerging mix of uses and configuration of spaces—previewed on the project's website—closely reflects the results of the student surveys, Tuminan stresses.  

View from Central Square, image courtesy of CannonDesign

"For this facility, it was also very important to create a sense of transparency," the architects adds. "Obviously, it's not exactly innovative to use a lot of glass in Toronto, but for this building, creating that sense of connection between the inside and the outside was crucial," Tuminan notes, stressing that a sense of permeability is key to the design. "Considering we're creating a social hub, it was very important to present a view into the life of the student body, and to make it an inviting place" he explains. 

View from Vari Hall, image courtesy of CannonDesign

"One thing we heard from students was that it should really feel like a living space," says Tuminan, noting that the interiors are designed as relaxed, communal spaces with ample seating. "Over 90% of the building space is lit by natural light," he adds, explaining that the use of natural lighting works to create a pleasant ambiance while contributing towards the building's sustainable design. 

A closer view of the glazing and outdoor public realm, image courtesy of CannonDesign

"We're targeting a LEED Silver Status," he notes, highlighting the high-performance curtain wall cladding and fairly extensive green roofs coverage as sustainable features. "The on-site parkland is also being replaced, and the University will actually have slightly more green space than before," he notes, adding that the glassy, transparent design also serves to minimize the structure's visual impact by attempting to slide the building into the neighbouring park's sloping topography. 

A birds-eye mock-up of the design, image courtesy of CannonDesign

Alongside CannonDesign's architectural plan, a low-irrigation landscaping program by Scott Torrance will add outdoor public seating, as well as a new public plaza. Additionally, the project—which targets a Spring 2018 completion—features engineering work by firms MCW, RJC, and RV Anderson. 

Following the success of York's ZAS Architects-designed Bergeron Centre, the project continues the widespread trend of enhancing—and emphasizing—quality of space on campus. For students, the new centre will significantly increase available lounge, study and club space, contributing to the improved student lifestyle that's also being targeted by Ryerson and U of T.

However, as investment in experiential amenities and student well-being increases, Ontario's universities face growing class sizes as tenured academic positions decline. For students, the benefits of more comfortable and socially conducive learning—and living—environments are nonetheless massively important amidst what is considered a widespread post-secondary crisis of student loneliness and anxiety. A place to relax—and find friends—can't come soon enough.

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We will keep you periodically updated as construction continues, and the new Student Centre begins to impact its surroundings. In the meantime, make sure to check out our dataBase file, linked below, for further information. Want to share your thoughts? Leave a comment in the space provided on this page, or join the conversation in our associated Forum thread.