Design Considerations 01
Connectivity
The site was challenged with reinventing a neglected interstitial courtyard space that functioned primarily as an exit path for a number of existing buildings.
Seneca College is Ontario’s largest college, with approximately 20,000 full-time students and 70,000 part time students enrolled in four campuses in the greater Toronto area. The four-storey facility is a living lab with exposed systems, flexible for future adaptations, and providing a welcoming atmosphere for student learning and interaction. An engaging gateway to the campus, Building A provides an additional 1,000 student seats and includes classrooms, computer labs, common areas, circulation, and an information commons. The building was completed on time and on budget via a two-year fast-track construction schedule as a part of the federal government's Knowledge Infrastructure Program.
The creation of the new building has provided Seneca’s Newnham campus with an identity it historically lacked.Craig Applegath
Design Considerations 01
The site was challenged with reinventing a neglected interstitial courtyard space that functioned primarily as an exit path for a number of existing buildings.
Design Considerations 02
Rooftop clerestories above the atria create a strong connection to the outdoors and fill the spaces with natural light, which minimizes the need for electrical lighting and reduces energy consumption.
This federally-funded, fast-track project was our Toronto studio’s first venture leveraging our entire multi-disciplinary team: architecture, interior design, structural-mechanical-electrical engineering, and sustainability, to create a space for an additional 1,000 students at Seneca College’s Newnham campus.