T
Tuscani01
Guest
Re:...
Ok, i like that idea. Mon-Fri 8am-8pm
Ok, i like that idea. Mon-Fri 8am-8pm
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T
TheAlmightyFuzzy
Guest
Re: Re:...
P
paulbali
Guest
Re: Re:...
I agree - those precast panels do nothing good for the building.
That northwest corner with the Canadian Tire sign is simply putrid. Wow.
I agree - those precast panels do nothing good for the building.
That northwest corner with the Canadian Tire sign is simply putrid. Wow.
F
FutureMayor
Guest
Re: ..
Ryerson to unveil internationally acclaimed Master Planning team University's 20-year plan will change face of campus and downtown
Mayor David Miller to attend launch
TORONTO, Oct. 27 /CNW/ - Ryerson University is launching a bold undertaking, the development of a 20-year blueprint to revitalize the campus and act as a catalyst for change and renewal in the unique community surrounding the University.
The winning Master Planning team, consisting of four Canadian firms that will guide the process, will be announced at this event.
<<
Who: Sheldon Levy, President of Ryerson University
Mayor David Miller, City of Toronto
Representative of the winning Master Planning team
Where: Ryerson University
George Vari Engineering and Computing Centre
245 Church St.
Atrium, 3rd Floor
Toronto, Ontario
When: Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Doors open at 11:30 AM
Program to start at 12:00 Noon sharp
Louroz
Ryerson to unveil internationally acclaimed Master Planning team University's 20-year plan will change face of campus and downtown
Mayor David Miller to attend launch
TORONTO, Oct. 27 /CNW/ - Ryerson University is launching a bold undertaking, the development of a 20-year blueprint to revitalize the campus and act as a catalyst for change and renewal in the unique community surrounding the University.
The winning Master Planning team, consisting of four Canadian firms that will guide the process, will be announced at this event.
<<
Who: Sheldon Levy, President of Ryerson University
Mayor David Miller, City of Toronto
Representative of the winning Master Planning team
Where: Ryerson University
George Vari Engineering and Computing Centre
245 Church St.
Atrium, 3rd Floor
Toronto, Ontario
When: Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Doors open at 11:30 AM
Program to start at 12:00 Noon sharp
Louroz
S
spmarshall
Guest
Re: ..
On Halloween. Scary...
Muh ha ha ha!
On Halloween. Scary...
Muh ha ha ha!
A
adma
Guest
A
AlvinofDiaspar
Guest
Re: ..
From Ryerson News:
A Vision for Ryerson: Master Planning team announced
October 31, 2006
Ryerson University President Sheldon Levy today announced the selection of the Master Planning Team that will lead the development of Ryerson’s Master Plan, a blueprint to revitalize the campus and act as a catalyst for change and renewal in the unique downtown Toronto community surrounding the University.
Following a rigourous search process, Ryerson has selected a team of four acclaimed Canadian firms, distinguished by their visionary leadership and reputation for excellence in architecture, urban planning, urban and landscape design, and economic analysis.
The four firms are: Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects (lead proponent) and Daoust Lestage Inc. (architecture and urban design), in association with Greenberg Consultants Inc. (urban planning) and IBI Group (economic analysis).
The Master Planning Core Team consists of five principals from the firms: Bruce Kuwabara and Marianne McKenna (KPMB Architects); Renee Daoust (Daoust Lestage Inc.); Ken Greenberg (Greenberg Consultants Inc.); and Randy Grimes (IBI Group).
“This Master Planning team is absolutely outstanding. They understand that Ryerson University has grown and changed dramatically, and that the Master Plan must support Ryerson’s goals of improving quality and the student experience, providing more student study space, expanding graduate studies and research, and building pride within our community and our neighbourhood,†said Levy.
“The team also shares our vision of a revitalized campus that recognizes no boundary in the traditional sense between the University and its downtown neighbourhood,†added Levy. “The Master Plan is an opportunity to renew not only the University campus -- including the creation of handsome public spaces where people can gather -- but also the unique downtown community surrounding it.â€
Toronto Mayor David Miller, who attended today’s announcement, said: "Building a great city requires bold thinking and decisive action. I applaud President Sheldon Levy for his vision, the Board of Governors and everyone involved in this Master Planning process. This transformation will change the way Ryerson connects to the downtown and the way Torontonians connect to the University. The City of Toronto will work with Ryerson and we celebrate this exciting initiative.â€
“Ryerson is a very contemporary, dynamic institution that is totally integrated with the city itself,†said Bruce Kuwabara (Principal, KPMB Architects) on behalf of the Master Planning Team. “What Ryerson is embarking on is a transformation of its campus that is really about city-building far beyond the property it owns, to leverage the public benefit, the public value of Ryerson as a great university.â€
The Master Plan, called “RU The Future: Ryerson’s Master Plan,†will be developed over the next 18 months and implemented over the next 15 to 20 years.
For further information, go to www.ryerson.ca/masterplan.
AoD
From Ryerson News:
A Vision for Ryerson: Master Planning team announced
October 31, 2006
Ryerson University President Sheldon Levy today announced the selection of the Master Planning Team that will lead the development of Ryerson’s Master Plan, a blueprint to revitalize the campus and act as a catalyst for change and renewal in the unique downtown Toronto community surrounding the University.
Following a rigourous search process, Ryerson has selected a team of four acclaimed Canadian firms, distinguished by their visionary leadership and reputation for excellence in architecture, urban planning, urban and landscape design, and economic analysis.
The four firms are: Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects (lead proponent) and Daoust Lestage Inc. (architecture and urban design), in association with Greenberg Consultants Inc. (urban planning) and IBI Group (economic analysis).
The Master Planning Core Team consists of five principals from the firms: Bruce Kuwabara and Marianne McKenna (KPMB Architects); Renee Daoust (Daoust Lestage Inc.); Ken Greenberg (Greenberg Consultants Inc.); and Randy Grimes (IBI Group).
“This Master Planning team is absolutely outstanding. They understand that Ryerson University has grown and changed dramatically, and that the Master Plan must support Ryerson’s goals of improving quality and the student experience, providing more student study space, expanding graduate studies and research, and building pride within our community and our neighbourhood,†said Levy.
“The team also shares our vision of a revitalized campus that recognizes no boundary in the traditional sense between the University and its downtown neighbourhood,†added Levy. “The Master Plan is an opportunity to renew not only the University campus -- including the creation of handsome public spaces where people can gather -- but also the unique downtown community surrounding it.â€
Toronto Mayor David Miller, who attended today’s announcement, said: "Building a great city requires bold thinking and decisive action. I applaud President Sheldon Levy for his vision, the Board of Governors and everyone involved in this Master Planning process. This transformation will change the way Ryerson connects to the downtown and the way Torontonians connect to the University. The City of Toronto will work with Ryerson and we celebrate this exciting initiative.â€
“Ryerson is a very contemporary, dynamic institution that is totally integrated with the city itself,†said Bruce Kuwabara (Principal, KPMB Architects) on behalf of the Master Planning Team. “What Ryerson is embarking on is a transformation of its campus that is really about city-building far beyond the property it owns, to leverage the public benefit, the public value of Ryerson as a great university.â€
The Master Plan, called “RU The Future: Ryerson’s Master Plan,†will be developed over the next 18 months and implemented over the next 15 to 20 years.
For further information, go to www.ryerson.ca/masterplan.
AoD
A
AlvinofDiaspar
Guest
Re: ..
And from the Master Plan website:
A VISION FOR RYERSON UNIVERSITY AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD: SEVEN OPPORTUNITIES
Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects and
Daoust Lestage Inc.
in association, with
Greenberg Consultants Inc. and
IBI Group
Overview
At the time of its opening in 1948, the Ryerson Institute of Technology offered students a unique alternative to university education: founder Howard Kerr envisioned an institution that would produce citizens uniquely trained to meet society’s ever-changing needs. Today, Ryerson University (RU) is a superb reflection of Kerr’s original vision: RU alumni contribute directly to the economic engines of Toronto, Ontario and Canada. Since achieving full university status in 1993, RU has been striving to advance its ability to retain and attract the best faculty and students (both undergraduate and graduate), enhance its programs that advance applied knowledge and research to meet current societal needs, and become a player in the creation, testing and application of new knowledge. However, we understand, from the Academic Plan, that Ryerson falls short on space standards in virtually every category – from classrooms, to laboratories, to libraries to faculty offices. The Master Plan is timely and critical to ensuring Ryerson’s academic goals are supported by a strong physical environment.
Opportunity 1: Interface between Ryerson University and the City
“BEHIND SAM THE RECORD MANâ€- ASSERT RYERSON’S IDENTITY IN THE CITY: Occupying approximately 21 acres in the heart of downtown Toronto, Ryerson University - unlike the gated campus of more traditional urban universities - lacks a strong physical identity. Composed of a loosely organized fabric of buildings, streets and open spaces, RU is almost completely subsumed by Toronto’s urban grid. The main campus is veiled behind the bustle of Yonge Street, and is not strongly asserted on Gerrard or Church Streets. While its downtown location distinguishes the RU identity, it also negates it. Sheldon Levy, in his speech to the Canadian Club of Toronto, notes that during a university student fair he conducted an informal poll asking if potential students knew where Ryerson was located – few actually knew. The Master Plan must prioritize the creation of a strong and recognizable image. This will involve a combination of creative urban and architectural planning, with very clear strategies for landscaping, signage, lighting and street furniture. A key focus will be to present ways to assert RU’s presence at a number of portals to the city to announce the spirit of the institution: creative, adventurous and bold.
STRENGTHENING THE CENTRE: Ryerson originally consisted only of Kerr Hall and its central green Quad. Over the years, the campus has spread out from Kerr, with recent developments as far as the intersection of Dundas and Bay. These developments have allowed the campus to overlap further into the city with a somewhat ragged edge. Before continuing an exploration of land use options beyond the RU central core, it will be important to examine the existing heart of the campus and explore options to strengthen it. The opportunity exists to rethink Kerr Hall, reconnect the Quad to the rest of the campus, make it more transparent and expand it outward around its perimeter, through a series of strategic renovations and additions. The presence of Kerr Hall, and the significant length of its facades on both Gerrard and Gould Streets, provide the opportunity to create a dramatic presence and a new identity on both of these east-west streets.
Opportunity 2: Pedestrian & Vehicular Flows
EXPLORING CONNECTIONS: Primarily a commuter campus, transportation is a critical factor in connecting students, faculty and administration to the Ryerson campus and as a result, it will be a central consideration in developing a new and viable campus plan. Careful consideration will also be given to defining pedestrian circulation routes to provide a sequence of public spaces that entice and encourage further exploration from both students and visitors.
The Master Plan must ensure adequate transportation and parking, and at the same time it should include steps to mitigate the impacts of traffic – particularly auto traffic, both coming to RU and passing through it. Steps should include: collecting an inventory of current travel habits of faculty, staff and students (including public and private transport) and service vehicle patterns; analysis of current parking provisions in the area; and an analysis of pedestrian movement and the quality of this environment. The plan will diagnose current movement problems – both existing and anticipated – and develop a new transportation plan with recommendations ranging from how to improve the pedestrian environment to suggesting how streets should be reconfigured to create improved interconnections with the city.
Opportunity 3: Rationalize/Intensify Existing Uses/Opportunities for Future Growth
“EYES ON THE STREETâ€: Transforming RU’s urban campus will enhance its value for the university, and also for the city. A downtown campus rates high on Richard Florida’s “Bohemian Index†that equates a strong and diverse cultural life with its economic strength. The master planning exercise is an opportunity for RU to actualize its land holdings and catalyze the development and regeneration of the surrounding neighbourhoods. Underutilized properties will be considered as candidates for intensification in order to create both new academic spaces as well as opportunities for place-making that encourage an extension of the quality of the academic community into the city. The transformation of the campus should include new housing for students and faculty within the area. This would help re-balance the upsurge of commercial and retail interests, revitalize the overall urban fabric and create a safer, cleaner public realm, with, as Jane Jacobs said, “eyes on the streets.â€
Opportunity 4: Existing Building Stock/Future Sustainability
TRANSFORMATION OF GOULD STREET: Walking through the campus, Gould Street is easily recognized as the spine of the campus. Although not a through street, Gould is an existing campus asset that should be entrenched. It has the potential to become a linear piazza lined with academic and social activities that knit the campus together. The original landscape strategy should be rethought. Opportunities to be considered include widening the pedestrian path, extending existing building fabric in key locations to better engage the street, and creating more transparency and access at the base of buildings in order to develop a more legible, visible academic and social environment.
EXPANSION – VERTICAL AND BELOW-GRADE: We understand the space is at a premium on the Ryerson campus. The master plan must maximize current space, and identify opportunities to create additional spaces. We would study a range of possibilities, including the potential for vertical and below-grade expansion to create much-needed classroom and faculty space. At the same time we imagine there might be opportunities to create selected rooftop terraces to enjoy views of the campus and city and provide breakout spaces that encourage interaction and exchange outside the classroom.
OPTIMIZING INDOOR/OUTDOOR PUBLIC SPACES: Well-proportioned, well-lit, and carefully detailed and crafted, these public spaces can play a role in City of Toronto’s Beautification program. We will look to revalue the existing campus open spaces - Devonian Court, the Quad and the smaller green spaces that already exist - and to create new meaningful green spaces that can engage the academic community. We will seek to reinforce programmatic adjacencies of new social spaces to outdoor spaces, and create strategies for adjustability; garage doors, sliding walls, etc. so that the outdoor/indoor environments are flexible in the best weather.
Opportunity 5: Place Making
ENHANCING THE PUBLIC REALM: The benefit of RU’s downtown location is that it offers students a wide variety of spaces for students to gather and socialize. However, the majority of these spaces are off campus. The result is that students are dispersed throughout the downtown, weakening the sense of a vibrant campus community. Walking through Ryerson campus, Gould, Victoria and Bond Streets currently serve as internal spines within the campus. None of these are through streets that continue into the fabric of the city, and as such, with the addition of engaging academic and social activities, these streets could take a more active role as collectors of student life that knit the campus together. We see clear opportunities to add social spaces so that students can drop in, hang out, study, and engage with their peers and professors. The master plan will explore ways to create a strongly defined public realm.
MAXIMIZING TRANSPARENCY AND ACCESSIBILITY: A number of the existing campus buildings are opaque and, with the exception of the new recent additions to the campus, do not convey to the street the sense of academic vitality normally associated with a downtown campus. Strategic additions and renovations to the base of buildings, like Kerr Hall, the Image Arts building, and others, could dramatically alter the sense of the vitality of being on campus, and enhance the interface between the University and City.
CREATING A CULTURAL DESTINATION: A new cultural venue – such as a gallery or a theatre - could provide an alternative option for stimulating a visible change on the Ryerson campus and for introducing a new destination on campus that encourages public and community participation. We would contribute direct experience in this regard, with specific reference to both the Gardiner Museum, which features a dynamic new third floor expansion comprising exhibit gallery, the Jamie Kennedy destination restaurant, and a new multi-purpose event space, and the Art Gallery of Hamilton which includes a new multi-purpose pavilion for special events ranging from weddings to film screenings.
ESTABLISHING STANDARDS TO ACHIEVE DESIGN EXCELLENCE: The planning exercise will look at strategies to ensure design excellence in implementation that matches or exceeds the master plan. The design challenge will be to create a stronger sense of identity, supported by a coherent architectural image and language that projects the vision and aspirations of the university. Leveraging the design quality on the RU campus will serve to improve the institution’s brand value and act as a catalyst for the surrounding neighbourhoods.
Opportunity 6: Academic Plan
The Ryerson University Master Plan must be conceived as a physical complement to the Academic Plan within the context of the City of Toronto. Imperative to the success of the plan will be a creative dialogue between the University and the City. We agree with the Academic Plan that a key area of enrolment growth will be directly connected to the quality, quantity and design of physical space.
AN ECOLOGY OF LEARNING: We understand that the priority for Ryerson is to nurture a learning community – that integrates all of the university’s academic activities and initiatives. The current offering of shared faculty offices and classrooms based on secondary school typologies are outdated, and do not support the Academic Plan goals. There is a critical need for more large-classroom space (120+), seminar rooms (15-20), and ‘smart rooms’. The Master Plan must identify new spaces for learning, inclusive of spaces outside of the classroom to promote the exchange of ideas, informal study, and research. The master plan must find ways to integrate within the existing fabric, a variety of spaces that support different and future modes of learning: laboratories, studios, workshops etc.
BUILDING A SAFE, EASILY NAVIGATED CAMPUS: With a younger student body, issues of safety and orientation must be prioritized. Well-lit pedestrian routes, with clear systems of signage, and specific safety mechanisms will be prioritized in the master planning.
IMPROVED LIBRARY RESOURCES: To continue to evolve Ryerson’s graduate programs, and attract high level faculty members, as well as increase enrolment opportunities, the Library system at Ryerson must be prioritized to allow it to support these initiatives and must be significantly upgraded to function as the comprehensive resource for teaching and course delivery.
Opportunity 7: Public/Private Partnerships
IDENTIFYING STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS: The Master Plan will identify opportunities for co-development with the private and public sectors. In any development partnership, the ‘deal’ is critically important, and must be structured to prioritize the vision for Ryerson. The plan will look to identify ways to create shared value, e.g. increased activity at street level and a better mix of spaces that encourage students to remain downtown for extended periods of time.
A Clear Economically Viable Plan
The Master Plan must evolve synergistically with the Academic Plan, budgets, and resource allocation. Our approach would include a clear, economically viable list prioritizing key strategies. This will require an intelligent and pragmatic allocation of resources to address functional needs (the quality of the teaching and learning environment) and the visible, public image of Ryerson in the city, and to future candidates for enrolment.
Our overall approach will be to stimulate creativity within boundaries – of time, place, and funding. Each strategic improvement will be evaluated based on its contribution to enriching the quality of academic and learning experience and to the fulfillment of its Academic mission.
Ryerson University President Sheldon Levy today announced the selection of the Master Planning Team that will lead the development of Ryerson’s Master Plan, a blueprint to revitalize the campus and act as a catalyst for change and renewal in the unique downtown Toronto community surrounding the University.
Following a rigourous search process, Ryerson has selected a team of four acclaimed Canadian firms, distinguished by their visionary leadership and reputation for excellence in architecture, urban planning, urban and landscape design, and economic analysis.
The four firms are: Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects (lead proponent) and Daoust Lestage Inc. (architecture and urban design), in association with Greenberg Consultants Inc. (urban planning) and IBI Group (economic analysis).
The Master Planning Core Team consists of five principals from the firms: Bruce Kuwabara and Marianne McKenna (KPMB Architects); Renee Daoust (Daoust Lestage Inc.); Ken Greenberg (Greenberg Consultants Inc.); and Randy Grimes (IBI Group).
“This Master Planning team is absolutely outstanding. They understand that Ryerson University has grown and changed dramatically, and that the Master Plan must support Ryerson’s goals of improving quality and the student experience, providing more student study space, expanding graduate studies and research, and building pride within our community and our neighbourhood,†said Levy.
“The team also shares our vision of a revitalized campus that recognizes no boundary in the traditional sense between the University and its downtown neighbourhood,†added Levy. “The Master Plan is an opportunity to renew not only the University campus -- including the creation of handsome public spaces where people can gather -- but also the unique downtown community surrounding it.â€
Toronto Mayor David Miller, who attended today’s announcement, said: "Building a great city requires bold thinking and decisive action. I applaud President Sheldon Levy for his vision, the Board of Governors and everyone involved in this Master Planning process. This transformation will change the way Ryerson connects to the downtown and the way Torontonians connect to the University. The City of Toronto will work with Ryerson and we celebrate this exciting initiative.â€
“Ryerson is a very contemporary, dynamic institution that is totally integrated with the city itself,†said Bruce Kuwabara (Principal, KPMB Architects) on behalf of the Master Planning Team. “What Ryerson is embarking on is a transformation of its campus that is really about city-building far beyond the property it owns, to leverage the public benefit, the public value of Ryerson as a great university.â€
The Master Plan, called “RU The Future: Ryerson’s Mastr Plan,†will be developed over the next 18 months and implemented over the next 15 to 20 years.
For further information, go to www.ryerson.ca/masterplan.
AoD
And from the Master Plan website:
A VISION FOR RYERSON UNIVERSITY AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD: SEVEN OPPORTUNITIES
Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects and
Daoust Lestage Inc.
in association, with
Greenberg Consultants Inc. and
IBI Group
Overview
At the time of its opening in 1948, the Ryerson Institute of Technology offered students a unique alternative to university education: founder Howard Kerr envisioned an institution that would produce citizens uniquely trained to meet society’s ever-changing needs. Today, Ryerson University (RU) is a superb reflection of Kerr’s original vision: RU alumni contribute directly to the economic engines of Toronto, Ontario and Canada. Since achieving full university status in 1993, RU has been striving to advance its ability to retain and attract the best faculty and students (both undergraduate and graduate), enhance its programs that advance applied knowledge and research to meet current societal needs, and become a player in the creation, testing and application of new knowledge. However, we understand, from the Academic Plan, that Ryerson falls short on space standards in virtually every category – from classrooms, to laboratories, to libraries to faculty offices. The Master Plan is timely and critical to ensuring Ryerson’s academic goals are supported by a strong physical environment.
Opportunity 1: Interface between Ryerson University and the City
“BEHIND SAM THE RECORD MANâ€- ASSERT RYERSON’S IDENTITY IN THE CITY: Occupying approximately 21 acres in the heart of downtown Toronto, Ryerson University - unlike the gated campus of more traditional urban universities - lacks a strong physical identity. Composed of a loosely organized fabric of buildings, streets and open spaces, RU is almost completely subsumed by Toronto’s urban grid. The main campus is veiled behind the bustle of Yonge Street, and is not strongly asserted on Gerrard or Church Streets. While its downtown location distinguishes the RU identity, it also negates it. Sheldon Levy, in his speech to the Canadian Club of Toronto, notes that during a university student fair he conducted an informal poll asking if potential students knew where Ryerson was located – few actually knew. The Master Plan must prioritize the creation of a strong and recognizable image. This will involve a combination of creative urban and architectural planning, with very clear strategies for landscaping, signage, lighting and street furniture. A key focus will be to present ways to assert RU’s presence at a number of portals to the city to announce the spirit of the institution: creative, adventurous and bold.
STRENGTHENING THE CENTRE: Ryerson originally consisted only of Kerr Hall and its central green Quad. Over the years, the campus has spread out from Kerr, with recent developments as far as the intersection of Dundas and Bay. These developments have allowed the campus to overlap further into the city with a somewhat ragged edge. Before continuing an exploration of land use options beyond the RU central core, it will be important to examine the existing heart of the campus and explore options to strengthen it. The opportunity exists to rethink Kerr Hall, reconnect the Quad to the rest of the campus, make it more transparent and expand it outward around its perimeter, through a series of strategic renovations and additions. The presence of Kerr Hall, and the significant length of its facades on both Gerrard and Gould Streets, provide the opportunity to create a dramatic presence and a new identity on both of these east-west streets.
Opportunity 2: Pedestrian & Vehicular Flows
EXPLORING CONNECTIONS: Primarily a commuter campus, transportation is a critical factor in connecting students, faculty and administration to the Ryerson campus and as a result, it will be a central consideration in developing a new and viable campus plan. Careful consideration will also be given to defining pedestrian circulation routes to provide a sequence of public spaces that entice and encourage further exploration from both students and visitors.
The Master Plan must ensure adequate transportation and parking, and at the same time it should include steps to mitigate the impacts of traffic – particularly auto traffic, both coming to RU and passing through it. Steps should include: collecting an inventory of current travel habits of faculty, staff and students (including public and private transport) and service vehicle patterns; analysis of current parking provisions in the area; and an analysis of pedestrian movement and the quality of this environment. The plan will diagnose current movement problems – both existing and anticipated – and develop a new transportation plan with recommendations ranging from how to improve the pedestrian environment to suggesting how streets should be reconfigured to create improved interconnections with the city.
Opportunity 3: Rationalize/Intensify Existing Uses/Opportunities for Future Growth
“EYES ON THE STREETâ€: Transforming RU’s urban campus will enhance its value for the university, and also for the city. A downtown campus rates high on Richard Florida’s “Bohemian Index†that equates a strong and diverse cultural life with its economic strength. The master planning exercise is an opportunity for RU to actualize its land holdings and catalyze the development and regeneration of the surrounding neighbourhoods. Underutilized properties will be considered as candidates for intensification in order to create both new academic spaces as well as opportunities for place-making that encourage an extension of the quality of the academic community into the city. The transformation of the campus should include new housing for students and faculty within the area. This would help re-balance the upsurge of commercial and retail interests, revitalize the overall urban fabric and create a safer, cleaner public realm, with, as Jane Jacobs said, “eyes on the streets.â€
Opportunity 4: Existing Building Stock/Future Sustainability
TRANSFORMATION OF GOULD STREET: Walking through the campus, Gould Street is easily recognized as the spine of the campus. Although not a through street, Gould is an existing campus asset that should be entrenched. It has the potential to become a linear piazza lined with academic and social activities that knit the campus together. The original landscape strategy should be rethought. Opportunities to be considered include widening the pedestrian path, extending existing building fabric in key locations to better engage the street, and creating more transparency and access at the base of buildings in order to develop a more legible, visible academic and social environment.
EXPANSION – VERTICAL AND BELOW-GRADE: We understand the space is at a premium on the Ryerson campus. The master plan must maximize current space, and identify opportunities to create additional spaces. We would study a range of possibilities, including the potential for vertical and below-grade expansion to create much-needed classroom and faculty space. At the same time we imagine there might be opportunities to create selected rooftop terraces to enjoy views of the campus and city and provide breakout spaces that encourage interaction and exchange outside the classroom.
OPTIMIZING INDOOR/OUTDOOR PUBLIC SPACES: Well-proportioned, well-lit, and carefully detailed and crafted, these public spaces can play a role in City of Toronto’s Beautification program. We will look to revalue the existing campus open spaces - Devonian Court, the Quad and the smaller green spaces that already exist - and to create new meaningful green spaces that can engage the academic community. We will seek to reinforce programmatic adjacencies of new social spaces to outdoor spaces, and create strategies for adjustability; garage doors, sliding walls, etc. so that the outdoor/indoor environments are flexible in the best weather.
Opportunity 5: Place Making
ENHANCING THE PUBLIC REALM: The benefit of RU’s downtown location is that it offers students a wide variety of spaces for students to gather and socialize. However, the majority of these spaces are off campus. The result is that students are dispersed throughout the downtown, weakening the sense of a vibrant campus community. Walking through Ryerson campus, Gould, Victoria and Bond Streets currently serve as internal spines within the campus. None of these are through streets that continue into the fabric of the city, and as such, with the addition of engaging academic and social activities, these streets could take a more active role as collectors of student life that knit the campus together. We see clear opportunities to add social spaces so that students can drop in, hang out, study, and engage with their peers and professors. The master plan will explore ways to create a strongly defined public realm.
MAXIMIZING TRANSPARENCY AND ACCESSIBILITY: A number of the existing campus buildings are opaque and, with the exception of the new recent additions to the campus, do not convey to the street the sense of academic vitality normally associated with a downtown campus. Strategic additions and renovations to the base of buildings, like Kerr Hall, the Image Arts building, and others, could dramatically alter the sense of the vitality of being on campus, and enhance the interface between the University and City.
CREATING A CULTURAL DESTINATION: A new cultural venue – such as a gallery or a theatre - could provide an alternative option for stimulating a visible change on the Ryerson campus and for introducing a new destination on campus that encourages public and community participation. We would contribute direct experience in this regard, with specific reference to both the Gardiner Museum, which features a dynamic new third floor expansion comprising exhibit gallery, the Jamie Kennedy destination restaurant, and a new multi-purpose event space, and the Art Gallery of Hamilton which includes a new multi-purpose pavilion for special events ranging from weddings to film screenings.
ESTABLISHING STANDARDS TO ACHIEVE DESIGN EXCELLENCE: The planning exercise will look at strategies to ensure design excellence in implementation that matches or exceeds the master plan. The design challenge will be to create a stronger sense of identity, supported by a coherent architectural image and language that projects the vision and aspirations of the university. Leveraging the design quality on the RU campus will serve to improve the institution’s brand value and act as a catalyst for the surrounding neighbourhoods.
Opportunity 6: Academic Plan
The Ryerson University Master Plan must be conceived as a physical complement to the Academic Plan within the context of the City of Toronto. Imperative to the success of the plan will be a creative dialogue between the University and the City. We agree with the Academic Plan that a key area of enrolment growth will be directly connected to the quality, quantity and design of physical space.
AN ECOLOGY OF LEARNING: We understand that the priority for Ryerson is to nurture a learning community – that integrates all of the university’s academic activities and initiatives. The current offering of shared faculty offices and classrooms based on secondary school typologies are outdated, and do not support the Academic Plan goals. There is a critical need for more large-classroom space (120+), seminar rooms (15-20), and ‘smart rooms’. The Master Plan must identify new spaces for learning, inclusive of spaces outside of the classroom to promote the exchange of ideas, informal study, and research. The master plan must find ways to integrate within the existing fabric, a variety of spaces that support different and future modes of learning: laboratories, studios, workshops etc.
BUILDING A SAFE, EASILY NAVIGATED CAMPUS: With a younger student body, issues of safety and orientation must be prioritized. Well-lit pedestrian routes, with clear systems of signage, and specific safety mechanisms will be prioritized in the master planning.
IMPROVED LIBRARY RESOURCES: To continue to evolve Ryerson’s graduate programs, and attract high level faculty members, as well as increase enrolment opportunities, the Library system at Ryerson must be prioritized to allow it to support these initiatives and must be significantly upgraded to function as the comprehensive resource for teaching and course delivery.
Opportunity 7: Public/Private Partnerships
IDENTIFYING STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS: The Master Plan will identify opportunities for co-development with the private and public sectors. In any development partnership, the ‘deal’ is critically important, and must be structured to prioritize the vision for Ryerson. The plan will look to identify ways to create shared value, e.g. increased activity at street level and a better mix of spaces that encourage students to remain downtown for extended periods of time.
A Clear Economically Viable Plan
The Master Plan must evolve synergistically with the Academic Plan, budgets, and resource allocation. Our approach would include a clear, economically viable list prioritizing key strategies. This will require an intelligent and pragmatic allocation of resources to address functional needs (the quality of the teaching and learning environment) and the visible, public image of Ryerson in the city, and to future candidates for enrolment.
Our overall approach will be to stimulate creativity within boundaries – of time, place, and funding. Each strategic improvement will be evaluated based on its contribution to enriching the quality of academic and learning experience and to the fulfillment of its Academic mission.
Ryerson University President Sheldon Levy today announced the selection of the Master Planning Team that will lead the development of Ryerson’s Master Plan, a blueprint to revitalize the campus and act as a catalyst for change and renewal in the unique downtown Toronto community surrounding the University.
Following a rigourous search process, Ryerson has selected a team of four acclaimed Canadian firms, distinguished by their visionary leadership and reputation for excellence in architecture, urban planning, urban and landscape design, and economic analysis.
The four firms are: Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects (lead proponent) and Daoust Lestage Inc. (architecture and urban design), in association with Greenberg Consultants Inc. (urban planning) and IBI Group (economic analysis).
The Master Planning Core Team consists of five principals from the firms: Bruce Kuwabara and Marianne McKenna (KPMB Architects); Renee Daoust (Daoust Lestage Inc.); Ken Greenberg (Greenberg Consultants Inc.); and Randy Grimes (IBI Group).
“This Master Planning team is absolutely outstanding. They understand that Ryerson University has grown and changed dramatically, and that the Master Plan must support Ryerson’s goals of improving quality and the student experience, providing more student study space, expanding graduate studies and research, and building pride within our community and our neighbourhood,†said Levy.
“The team also shares our vision of a revitalized campus that recognizes no boundary in the traditional sense between the University and its downtown neighbourhood,†added Levy. “The Master Plan is an opportunity to renew not only the University campus -- including the creation of handsome public spaces where people can gather -- but also the unique downtown community surrounding it.â€
Toronto Mayor David Miller, who attended today’s announcement, said: "Building a great city requires bold thinking and decisive action. I applaud President Sheldon Levy for his vision, the Board of Governors and everyone involved in this Master Planning process. This transformation will change the way Ryerson connects to the downtown and the way Torontonians connect to the University. The City of Toronto will work with Ryerson and we celebrate this exciting initiative.â€
“Ryerson is a very contemporary, dynamic institution that is totally integrated with the city itself,†said Bruce Kuwabara (Principal, KPMB Architects) on behalf of the Master Planning Team. “What Ryerson is embarking on is a transformation of its campus that is really about city-building far beyond the property it owns, to leverage the public benefit, the public value of Ryerson as a great university.â€
The Master Plan, called “RU The Future: Ryerson’s Mastr Plan,†will be developed over the next 18 months and implemented over the next 15 to 20 years.
For further information, go to www.ryerson.ca/masterplan.
AoD
3
3Dementia
Guest
Re: ..
Anyone on this board could written that blather... copy, paste, copy pasted.... standard boiler-plate... particularly ironic given it's being sold to a university.
Anyone on this board could written that blather... copy, paste, copy pasted.... standard boiler-plate... particularly ironic given it's being sold to a university.
C
cdl42
Guest
Re: ..
Quite right, 3D. I was amazed by how little detail they managed to provide in so much text. partnerships, yadda, community, yadda, prioritization of mechanisms, yadda, connections, etc, etc, etc.
Quite right, 3D. I was amazed by how little detail they managed to provide in so much text. partnerships, yadda, community, yadda, prioritization of mechanisms, yadda, connections, etc, etc, etc.
3
3Dementia
Guest
Re: ..
let's not forget "eyes on the street"... there's a novel planning call to action. (what street I wonder... Yonge is nuthin' but 'eyes').
let's not forget "eyes on the street"... there's a novel planning call to action. (what street I wonder... Yonge is nuthin' but 'eyes').
U
unimaginative2
Guest
Re: ..
What kind of urban universities are gated? Certainly not U of T down the street. Not Harvard, Oxford, McGill, etc. either.
What kind of urban universities are gated? Certainly not U of T down the street. Not Harvard, Oxford, McGill, etc. either.
N
nassauone
Guest
Re: ..
Back in the day I had a prof at Ryerson Image Arts (then Photography) who championed none other than Buckminster Fuller to add his magic touch to the horrid photo building (well before my time in the late 60's I believe). He was laughed at as 'kooky'.
Shame - would have added to the old brewery! I mean it is not like photography needs light to actually well, work.
Back in the day I had a prof at Ryerson Image Arts (then Photography) who championed none other than Buckminster Fuller to add his magic touch to the horrid photo building (well before my time in the late 60's I believe). He was laughed at as 'kooky'.
Shame - would have added to the old brewery! I mean it is not like photography needs light to actually well, work.
D
Darkstar416
Guest
The Star: Boldness needed to redo Ryerson
Hume's take...
Boldness needed to redo Ryerson
Nov. 1, 2006. 07:12 AM
CHRISTOPHER HUME
Change is good, big change even better.
So says the president of Ryerson University, Sheldon Levy, and the team assembled to oversee the change to its downtown campus.
"We want to rebuild our neighbourhood," Levy said at a press conference held yesterday to introduce the consortium that will design the university's master plan. "The Ryerson of the future will be seen as a destination for people who want to study and live here. This is about community. And about design excellence."
Certainly, if the professionals chosen for the job are any indication, Ryerson means business.
Consisting of Toronto architects Bruce Kuwabara and Marianne McKenna, urban planners Ken Greenberg and Renée Daoust of Montreal and economic analyst Randy Grimes, this is an A-list team. Though they have yet to draw up any firm scheme, the five key players insist that it will be big, bold and beautiful. "Our team is fantastic," Kuwabara declared. "We don't want to do just a master plan, but one that transforms the city."
That will be music to the ears of all Torontonians who have watched as Ryerson and the surrounding area have grown shabbier and shabbier with each passing decade. Though much has happened in recent years at the Ryerson campus — Yonge-Dundas Square, the Metropolis (six years behind schedule) directly north, Ryerson's new Continuing Education Building on Victoria St. and business school at Dundas and Bay — there's much that hasn't kept pace.
Indeed, in many respects the campus remains invisible except for the hordes of students who show up daily. And buildings like Jorgensen Hall, a true '70s monstrosity, don't bring much to the precinct. But even one of Ryerson's greatest physical assets, the park in the Quad, is hidden from the city and seriously underused.
And what about Gould St.? Why isn't it closed to vehicular traffic and handed over to the students who must feel like strangers on their own campus?
Mayor David Miller, who appeared at the conference, said he would be willing to entertain the idea of a pedestrian-only Gould, "if it makes sense." What more does His Worship need to know? Of course, it makes sense. It makes more sense than leaving Gould as it is — that's what doesn't make sense.
Miller's caution is symptomatic of Toronto, a city that never does this year what it can put off to the next century.
And then there's Church St., Ryerson's main street, though you'd never know it.
These are just a few of the issues the planners must confront. Given Ryerson's lack of space, and the mediocrity and disjointedness of its building stock, boldness will be critical to their success. Even the university's most recent addition, the business school at the northwest corner of the Eaton Centre, reads more like a big box store than an educational facility. It may be smart to combine a Canadian Tire, Best Buy, parking garage and business faculty in one site, but must it look like something brought in from some no-name suburban mall?
"We need to radically rethink the ground floor of the campus," Kuwabara says. "It's pretty wretched. Ryerson has no face on Yonge St. There just aren't enough places to go and be on campus."
Greenberg, a highly regarded Torontonian who until recently was acting chief planner in Boston, agrees.
"We're going to have to be very clever," he says. "We have to transform spaces that already exist, create a campus. And we have to raise the ante on design."
And Greenberg insists, "Hybridization will give rise to all kinds of opportunities."
In other words, the future Ryerson will be a multi-use enclave where people live, work, study, shop and play. It will involve private-public partnerships. The phrase evokes fear and loathing but this need not be the case. The private sector is only as good as the public sector demands; the trouble isn't with those who follow, but those who lead.
*Christopher Hume can be reached at: chume@thestar.ca
Hume's take...
Boldness needed to redo Ryerson
Nov. 1, 2006. 07:12 AM
CHRISTOPHER HUME
Change is good, big change even better.
So says the president of Ryerson University, Sheldon Levy, and the team assembled to oversee the change to its downtown campus.
"We want to rebuild our neighbourhood," Levy said at a press conference held yesterday to introduce the consortium that will design the university's master plan. "The Ryerson of the future will be seen as a destination for people who want to study and live here. This is about community. And about design excellence."
Certainly, if the professionals chosen for the job are any indication, Ryerson means business.
Consisting of Toronto architects Bruce Kuwabara and Marianne McKenna, urban planners Ken Greenberg and Renée Daoust of Montreal and economic analyst Randy Grimes, this is an A-list team. Though they have yet to draw up any firm scheme, the five key players insist that it will be big, bold and beautiful. "Our team is fantastic," Kuwabara declared. "We don't want to do just a master plan, but one that transforms the city."
That will be music to the ears of all Torontonians who have watched as Ryerson and the surrounding area have grown shabbier and shabbier with each passing decade. Though much has happened in recent years at the Ryerson campus — Yonge-Dundas Square, the Metropolis (six years behind schedule) directly north, Ryerson's new Continuing Education Building on Victoria St. and business school at Dundas and Bay — there's much that hasn't kept pace.
Indeed, in many respects the campus remains invisible except for the hordes of students who show up daily. And buildings like Jorgensen Hall, a true '70s monstrosity, don't bring much to the precinct. But even one of Ryerson's greatest physical assets, the park in the Quad, is hidden from the city and seriously underused.
And what about Gould St.? Why isn't it closed to vehicular traffic and handed over to the students who must feel like strangers on their own campus?
Mayor David Miller, who appeared at the conference, said he would be willing to entertain the idea of a pedestrian-only Gould, "if it makes sense." What more does His Worship need to know? Of course, it makes sense. It makes more sense than leaving Gould as it is — that's what doesn't make sense.
Miller's caution is symptomatic of Toronto, a city that never does this year what it can put off to the next century.
And then there's Church St., Ryerson's main street, though you'd never know it.
These are just a few of the issues the planners must confront. Given Ryerson's lack of space, and the mediocrity and disjointedness of its building stock, boldness will be critical to their success. Even the university's most recent addition, the business school at the northwest corner of the Eaton Centre, reads more like a big box store than an educational facility. It may be smart to combine a Canadian Tire, Best Buy, parking garage and business faculty in one site, but must it look like something brought in from some no-name suburban mall?
"We need to radically rethink the ground floor of the campus," Kuwabara says. "It's pretty wretched. Ryerson has no face on Yonge St. There just aren't enough places to go and be on campus."
Greenberg, a highly regarded Torontonian who until recently was acting chief planner in Boston, agrees.
"We're going to have to be very clever," he says. "We have to transform spaces that already exist, create a campus. And we have to raise the ante on design."
And Greenberg insists, "Hybridization will give rise to all kinds of opportunities."
In other words, the future Ryerson will be a multi-use enclave where people live, work, study, shop and play. It will involve private-public partnerships. The phrase evokes fear and loathing but this need not be the case. The private sector is only as good as the public sector demands; the trouble isn't with those who follow, but those who lead.
*Christopher Hume can be reached at: chume@thestar.ca
W
wyliepoon
Guest
Re: The Star: Boldness needed to redo Ryerson
I think it's too early to judge how well this planning group will do just with a press release and Hume's article, but I do have a concern.
It seems like Ryerson wants to integrate the campus with the rest of the city, but how much integration is too much? I agree that Ryerson needs to connect to the surrounding downtown, and it needs the publicity, but Ryerson is still a school. Things like mixed use development, getting more people to use the Quad, and turning Church Street into a "main street" are only good as long as they don't spoil the learning environment at Ryerson.
For example, I've taken some classes in Kerr Hall West classrooms that face Church Street, and have no air conditioning. On warm days the windows need to be opened for ventilation, but with the ventilation comes the sound of cars racing down Church. Imagine what would happen if it does become a "main street" for Ryerson.
I think it's too early to judge how well this planning group will do just with a press release and Hume's article, but I do have a concern.
It seems like Ryerson wants to integrate the campus with the rest of the city, but how much integration is too much? I agree that Ryerson needs to connect to the surrounding downtown, and it needs the publicity, but Ryerson is still a school. Things like mixed use development, getting more people to use the Quad, and turning Church Street into a "main street" are only good as long as they don't spoil the learning environment at Ryerson.
For example, I've taken some classes in Kerr Hall West classrooms that face Church Street, and have no air conditioning. On warm days the windows need to be opened for ventilation, but with the ventilation comes the sound of cars racing down Church. Imagine what would happen if it does become a "main street" for Ryerson.