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An application has been submitted to the City of Toronto to permit the development of an academic building and student residence to serve as a new Cultural Hub at Humber College's Lakeshore Campus. Designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects and to be built by Ellis Don, the project is the latest of several campus renovation projects of the last five years.
Located at 3199 Lake Shore Boulevard West, west of Kipling Avenue, the proposal consists of an eight and nine-storey student residence atop a wide two and three-storey academic podium containing a range of multidisciplinary academic, music, and performing arts halls and spaces.The project seeks Zoning By-law Amendments to allow for increases in height and density, and involves both the demolition and retention of several existing buildings on the site.
Slated for a two-phase construction process, the proposal will first develop the student residence building along the east side of the site, along with its section of the podium. This phase will contribute some 11,500 m² of additional residence space containing up to 324 units, adding to the existing 400 units contained in a six-storey residence building on site. A new cafeteria and additional community athletic spaces are also proposed in this phase to facilitate the increase in students envisioned for the campus.
The second phase of development will add an additional 21,250 m² of multidisciplinary performance halls and ‘industry-infused learning spaces’. These include two music and performing arts venues seating 600 and 150 people respectively, as well as professional grade multimedia production, post-production, 3D animation studios, music labs, recording studios, business innovation spaces, and computer labs.
While the project would replace a number of buildings on site currently, an existing library building to the south and the six-storey student residence building to the north are to be retained. The Cultural Hub will be built out between these, wrapping around the existing eastern elevation of the library, combining to create an irregular footprint ranging in scale and elevation across the site. The proposed new built form would extend the current footprint of the structures on site south into the area’s existing surface level parking lot and would be set back some 55 metres from Lake Shore Boulevard West at the north end of the site.
To allow for the increase in built form onsite, a current at-grade parking lot containing 663 spaces would be reduced to 494, while 78 long-term bicycle parking spaces would be added onsite. A comprehensive landscape strategy is currently in the planning stages for the redeveloped lands, while a new campus entrance, courtyard and numerous shared spaces are being designed in the context of the overall campus plan, to increase connectivity and mobility throughout.
Additional information and images can be found in our Database file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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