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The University of Toronto’s Trinity College is continuing to advance plans for the expansion of space on its campus. On August 12, 2020, the college submitted a Site Plan Approval (SPA) application for a new mass-timber institutional and residential building at 6 Hoskin Avenue and 15 Devonshire Place, designed by Dutch firm Mecanoo Architecten in partnership with local architect of record RDH Architects. ERA Architects were brought on board as heritage consultants.
The school is still awaiting a decision on their recent Zoning Bylaw Amendment application, submitted in December, 2019.
The latest architectural plans submitted to the City as part of the SPA application reveal the building’s material palette. In keeping with recent tradition at the University, the new building will respond to its context by making use of traditional materials combined with contemporary design. The ground floor will be clad in limestone, and the upper floors in two-toned black and “champagne” aluminum.
The plan also pays homage to its heritage surroundings in its scale and orientation. Originally proposed as a 14-storey tower, it was reorganized to match the height and typology of its neighbours while retaining the same 350 residence beds and expanding on the total available floor space for academic uses. The building is to be known as The Lawson Centre for Sustainability.
The T-shaped plan will create several new courtyard spaces and formalize the pedestrian connections between the various adjacent buildings. It will connect to the historic Trinity College building and quad to the south by a covered walkway. The building will wrap around and integrate the existing George Ignatieff Theatre at ground level, while the Lawson Centre will be linked via the existing underground walkway into the adjacent Gerard Larkin Building and Trinity's Quad Building.
In addition to these new outdoor spaces, the building will include a new “Trinity Café” and a rooftop “Urban Farming” facility.
The plan proposes to include a minimum of 75 bicycle parking spots—45 long-term and 30 short-term—and zero vehicular parking spaces.
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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