Centennial HP Science and Technology Centre, Scarborough, Ont.

Centennial College is Canada’s first community college, established in 1967. The Science and Technology Centre signifies the college’s response to meet industry demands for science and technology graduates. Thanks to the building’s flexible infrastructure, programs can be constantly revised in response to the changing labour market.

The 160,293-square-foot, $40-million project is organized within a four-storey, loft-like concrete-framed structure, organized on a 20-by-40-foot structural grid, with clear-span raised floors, operable windows, high ceilings and flexible internal partitions that shift on a five-foot grid. The design integrates low-tech, sustainable design strategies, such as exposed concrete for a high thermal mass, that exceed the ASHRAE 90.1 standard for energy efficiency by 40 per cent.

Light-filled interior streets run along central atria and culminate in lounges. Two elevated horizontal wings form a broad V-shape configured
to the contours and slope of the triangular lot. The main entrance marks the meeting of the two wings and is articulated as a transparent gateway that leads into the heart of the building. This focal point for gatherings features a large wood volume suspended above a broad flight of steps. The steps are wired for laptops and adaptable for formal events and assemblies.

Levitt: Give them credit for persuading an institutional client to do something this cool.

Chalmers: I like the way the stair doubles as an auditorium space. I get the sense that the acoustics are quite good.