ZAS unveils design for University of Toronto's new Learning Landscape
IC-2's cohesive terrain promotes agile and asynchronous education models at one of Canada's top universities
Inspired by the form of a 19th-century Printer’s Tray, the building's façade emulates architectural variance, reflecting the diversity of the student community that resides within.
August 11, 2020 (TORONTO, ON) - ZAS Architects, in collaboration with Denmark-based CEBRA Architecture, has unveiled the design for a new student-centred learning and support hub at the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus (UTSC). The new facility - Instructional Centre Phase 2 (IC-2) - is a dynamic learning landscape that promotes agile and asynchronous education through a complex arrangement of rooms and open public spaces spanning multiple floors.
"We envisioned a truly flexible environment that broke down traditional pedagogies and instead, encouraged a fluid learning experience unconfined by the walls of the classroom," says Paul Stevens, Founder, and Senior Principal at ZAS Architects. "Peer-to-peer learning is emulated in all aspects of the design."
Artificially-created terrain spills from the outside in, creating a hybrid of social and study areas that stimulate and support vibrant campus life. Students have access to a multitude of flexible, technology-enabled spaces, including 21 classrooms of various sizes and configurations ranging from a 500-seat auditorium to smaller 24-seat active learning environments.
Learning spaces sit on top of one another, creating opportunities for platform and bleacher seating space known as the Knoll (below), which scales the roof of the 210-seat Butterfly Cave tiered auditorium (second below).
Meanwhile theCoffice - a large study/social space - sits atop the Campfire auditorium (below), a multi-purpose hexagonal lecture theatre that seats 500 and protrudes two metres above the ground floor. Ascending rows allow for spatial flexibility and creates a dynamic viewing experience for students with the presenter positioned at the centre. The design also promotes immersive learning in an interactive, asynchronous environment with surrounding digital screens
The framed grid that forms the building’s façade creates a design that combines various volumes, scales, surfaces and spatial qualities. Inspired by the form of Printer’s Tray predominantly used during the 19th Century, the building’s four distinct façades mirror the tray’s compartments and represent the diversity of spaces and educational environments within.
Building on the notion of a building hovering above, the recessed grade-level façade is highly transparent with mullion-free structural glass panes. The learning landscape extends horizontally across the entire ground floor, enriching student flow and way-finding. Inspired by the Highland Creek ravine that weaves through the campus, the design is guided by the desire to extend green space indoors. Meanwhile two rooftop gardens also merge indoor and outdoor spaces to enhance the public realm within the building’s upper levels
Elements of health and wellness are woven into all aspects of the design, but are central to the fifth floor, where the campus-wide Student Affairs programmes will be consolidated and prioritized into one central and accessible space.
This includes counselling and mental health resources, a meditation and breastfeeding room, a physician and nurse office, academic advising and accessibility services, and multiple co-working spaces that encourage peer collaboration.
"Ultimately, this project is about more than classrooms. It’s about student support, both physically and mentally," says Peter Duckworth-Pilkington, Principal at ZAS Architects. ”Dedicating a state-of-the-art, central floor to student health sends a powerful message that well-being needs are not just accommodated at the University of Toronto, they are being prioritized."
PROJECT INFORMATION
CLIENT: University of Toronto ARCHITECTS: ZAS Architects (Toronto, Canada) in collaboration with CEBRA Architecture (Aarhus, Denmark) LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE Land Inc. SITE AREA: 6,300 m2 (1.56 acres) BUILDING AREA: 18,500 m2 (199,060 sf) PROGRAM: 21 Classrooms (ranging from 24 to 500 seats); Student Affairs Office; Computer & Mathematical Sciences Department. BUILDING MASSING: 5 storeys + basement, plus underground service tunnel connection to 1200 car parking structure (by others)
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ZAS Architects + Interiors Inc. is a full-service design firm offering expertise in all facets of architecture, planning, transportation, and interior design. With its head office located in Toronto, ZAS is led by the creative spirit of the firm's three Principals and supported by a knowledgeable, reliable group of Associates and 75 talented staff. The firm's Toronto, Vancouver and Dubai offices are supported by an affiliate network of design firms based in Canada, the United States, and the Middle East, enabling us to effectively draw on our extensive complement of multi-disciplinary professionals. The ZAS team is united in its dedication to the ongoing development of high-quality architecture, delivering results that are innovative, beautiful, and sustainable.
The firm's notable works include the Vaughan Civic Centre Resource Library in Vaughan, York University’s Bergeron Centre for Engineering Excellence in Toronto and the University of Waterloo’s School of Interaction Design and Business in Stratford.
