Ryerson University president Sheldon Levy yesterday shared the design of a new mixed-use building known as the Church Street Development (CSD), which will be built just north of Dundas Street East. Designed by the internationally acclaimed architectural firm Perkins+Will, the dramatic building will transform the streetscape of Church while providing the Ryerson community with an outstanding environment for study, work and research.
“I am delighted to share the wonderful new design for Ryerson’s Church Street Development, a building that will be transformative not only for Ryerson but for also for Church Street,” says Levy. “The building captures Ryerson’s commitment to design excellence and will provide state-of-the-art space on campus for our students while supporting our innovative curriculum and academic programs.”
The CSD is comprised of an eight-storey podium with a tower to the north. The podium will house four programs from the Faculty of Community Services: the School of Nutrition, the School of Occupational and Public Health, the Midwifery Education Program, and the Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing. The multi-storey tower will be home to over 250 new residence beds for Ryerson students. It will provide students with 10 state-of-the art clinical experience suites, teaching labs, modular labs for research initiatives, and a fabrication zone with 3D printers, robotic arms, a laser cutter and CNC lathes for prototyping.
Nursing students will benefit from three 15-bed labs designed to emulate the conditions they will encounter when they graduate. The nursing learning experience will also be enhanced by four high-fidelity simulation suites with adjoining debriefing rooms.
Says Reza Moridi, minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, “I am thrilled to see Ryerson University unveil its design plans for the Church Street Development and its health sciences programs. Our government is proud to support this state-of-the-art facility, which will provide students with the innovative and quality education they need to actively contribute to Ontario’s health care sector.”
Support from the Government of Ontario has been essential for the project. “The CSD was made possible by the Government of Ontario’s investment of $56.4 million,” says Levy. “This generous contribution allows Ryerson to expand our academic programs and services for many of our high-demand programs.”
As part of Ryerson’s long-term leadership in sustainability, the 166,000-square-foot building will be LEED Silver compliant, with a green-roof and spaces for over 250 bicycles.
Says Andrew Frontini, design director and principal, Perkins+Will, “This building is going to be celebration of life on an urban campus. The design expresses connectivity and interaction at every scale and its form will promote the fluid interaction of urban space with the space of living and learning. This building will connect residents to nature and build awareness around sustainable building systems. It will connect the roof to the street, the campus to the city and most importantly it will foster creativity and interaction between people where they teach, learn and live.”
Construction on the CSD is expected to begin fall 2015 with an estimated completion in the 2018 academic year.
ALL ABOUT RYERSON UNIVERSITY
Ryerson University is Canada’s leader in innovative, career-oriented education and a university clearly on the move. With a mission to serve societal need, and a long-standing commitment to engaging its community, Ryerson offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs. Distinctly urban, culturally diverse and inclusive, the university is home to more than 38,000 students, including 2,300 master’s and PhD students, nearly 2,700 faculty and staff, and more than 140,000 alumni worldwide. Research at Ryerson is on a trajectory of success and growth: externally funded research has doubled in the past four years. The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education is Canada’s leading provider of university-based adult education.
For more information, visit https://www.ryerson.ca/
ALL ABOUT PERKINS+WILL
Established in 1935, Perkins+Will is a global interdisciplinary architecture and design firm founded on the belief that design has the power to transform lives and enhance society. With a staff of 1,500 in 23 locations worldwide, the firm serves clients across a broad range of project types and grounds its work in deep research. Perkins+Will ranks among the world’s top design firms and is the recipient of hundreds of awards. Social responsibility is fundamental to the firm’s outlook, work, and culture, and every year Perkins+Will donates one percent of its design services to non-profit organizations. With pioneering tools to advance sustainable design practices, the largest green building portfolio in North America, nearly 1,000 LEED Accredited Professionals, and a commitment to the 2030 Challenge, Perkins+Will is recognized as one of the industry’s preeminent sustainable design firms.
For more information, visit http://perkinswill.com/