The design of a new building that consolidates York University’s School of Continuing Studies into one location is a new architectural landmark at the Toronto school’s Keele Campus. “The design is emblematic of the school’s identity and culture, which is centered around accelerated professional growth in the face of a continuously evolving labor market,” according to a news release from Perkins&Will.
Previously dispersed in multiple locations around campus, the School of Continuing Studies, which is the largest school of its kind in Canada, serves students who are furthering their educational and professional development, and English language learners. The new centralized facility, described as “bold and twisted,” features modular learning clusters, bright collaboration spaces, a generous public plaza, and wellness amenities including a lactation room and prayer space.
“The building’s unique twisted form begins with a desire to create engaging public spaces, both within the building and at the scale of the campus,” says Andrew Frontini, lead designer and design director, Perkins&Will. “We responded to the neighboring buildings, road networks and pedestrian desire lines by nudging the building over to create a gateway plaza to the west and a discrete drop off zone to the east. With this, the twist was born! Each of the five floors rotates to lean out and shelter the public realm as well as engage people at the scale of the campus with a bold sculptural presence. Inside, the twist creates light filled spaces to engage outside of the classrooms. It’s a bold form, but one that is born out of a desire to build culture and community.”
A geometric design process articulated the dramatic contortion of the building by manipulating the rectangular floor plate around a common centroid. The rotation of the overall form introduces a two-way curve into the north and south facades.
The contortion of the building is emblematic of the way that the school supports professional growth in the face of a changing economic landscape. Designers aimed to build community and create a culture of connectivity, both internally and externally. The 120,000 sf building spans five floors and emerges from a new public plaza, creating a distinctive new gateway into the campus.
Inside, modular learning spaces can be adjusted to accommodate 16- to 120-seat classrooms. Classrooms are set inwards, creating learning clusters that leave open spaces at the light-filled perimeter. Interconnected lounges and open collaboration spaces support the school’s social learning approach. Classrooms can double as spaces for networking events with private sector companies and non-profit organizations.
On the building team:
Owner and/or developer: York University
Design architect: Perkins&Will
Architect of record: Perkins&Will
MEP engineer: Smith + Andersen
Structural engineer: Entuitive
General contractor/construction manager: Aquicon Construction
Related Stories
| Nov 25, 2013
Building Teams need to help owners avoid 'operational stray'
"Operational stray" occurs when a building’s MEP systems don’t work the way they should. Even the most well-designed and constructed building can stray from perfection—and that can cost the owner a ton in unnecessary utility costs. But help is on the way.
| Nov 15, 2013
Greenbuild 2013 Report - BD+C Exclusive
The BD+C editorial team brings you this special report on the latest green building trends across nine key market sectors.
| Nov 15, 2013
Metal makes its mark on interior spaces
Beyond its long-standing role as a preferred material for a building’s structure and roof, metal is making its mark on interior spaces as well.
| Nov 13, 2013
Installed capacity of geothermal heat pumps to grow by 150% by 2020, says study
The worldwide installed capacity of GHP systems will reach 127.4 gigawatts-thermal over the next seven years, growth of nearly 150%, according to a recent report from Navigant Research.
| Oct 30, 2013
15 stellar historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and renovation projects
The winners of the 2013 Reconstruction Awards showcase the best work of distinguished Building Teams, encompassing historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and renovations and additions.
| Oct 30, 2013
11 hot BIM/VDC topics for 2013
If you like to geek out on building information modeling and virtual design and construction, you should enjoy this overview of the top BIM/VDC topics.
| Oct 18, 2013
Researchers discover tension-fusing properties of metal
When a group of MIT researchers recently discovered that stress can cause metal alloy to fuse rather than break apart, they assumed it must be a mistake. It wasn't. The surprising finding could lead to self-healing materials that repair early damage before it has a chance to spread.
| Oct 8, 2013
Toronto Maple Leafs arena converted to university recreation facility
Using steel reinforcement and massive box trusses, a Building Team methodically inserts four new floors in the landmark arena while preserving and restoring its historic exterior.
| Oct 7, 2013
10 award-winning metal building projects
The FDNY Fireboat Firehouse in New York and the Cirrus Logic Building in Austin, Texas, are among nine projects named winners of the 2013 Chairman’s Award by the Metal Construction Association for outstanding design and construction.
| Oct 1, 2013
13 structural steel buildings that dazzle
The Barclays Center arena in Brooklyn and the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, N.C., are among projects named 2013 IDEAS2 winners by the American Institute of Steel Construction.
