ZAS Architects, in collaboration with CEBRA Architecture, has unveiled the design for a new student-centered 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.
Read More"The University of Toronto’s new learning and support hub is a "learning landscape" " /
The University of Toronto Scarborough Campus (UTSC) is set to receive a new student-centered learning and support hub courtesy of ZAS Architects, in collaboration with CEBRA Architecture.
The design of the building is inspired by the form of a 19th century Printer’s Tray. The building’s four distinct facades mirror the tray’s compartments and represent the diversity of spaces and educational environments within. The framed grid that forms the building’s facade creates a design that combines various volumes, scales, surfaces, and spatial qualities.
Read More"U of T is getting a breathtaking new building with a green roof and lush gardens" /
"Breathtaking outdoor skating rink just opened up near Toronto" /
The Gore Meadows Ice Rink is set to officially open this weekend, and as far as outdoor skating rinks go, it might be the most beautiful one yet.
Read More"The Top 15 architects in Toronto" /
The top architects in Toronto play a wildly important role in shaping the city. While many of these firms are also engaged in international work, so many of the condos, educational buildings, and even residences that surround us were designed by local outfits. And some, of course, are much better at delivering inspiring designs than others.
Here are my picks for the top 15 architects in Toronto.
Read MoreWest Don Lands Community Wins ULI Global Award of Excellence /
West Don Lands, an industrial area currently being redeveloped as a mixed-use neighbourhood in Toronto’s downtown east end, was named one of thirteen winners in the Urban Land Institute’s 2017- 2018 ULI Global Awards for Excellence.
Read MoreThe Future of Vertical Neighborhoods /
For the past three years, New York based Metropolis magazine has been conceni Think Tank, a series of discussions with industry leaders on issues surrounding human-centered design. On June 8, 2017 Susan S. Szenasy, Director of Design Innovation at Metropolis was joined in Toronto by architects and planners including ZAS Principal Peter Duckworth-Pilkington, Ann-Marie Nasr, Manager, Strategic Initiatives, City of Toronto, City Planning
Division and Dean Richard M. Sommer, Professor of Architecture and Urbanism, John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design, University of Toronto.
Together they discussed the role of the residential high-rise in increasingly dense urban environments and how this density will affect families. What follows is an edited transcript of the conversation. The full transcript of the conversation can be found here.
Toronto's next Community Centre might be it's best yet /
Toronto is a city on the rise - literally - and it's looking to establish public spaces for all the new condo residents.
The newest project, a community centre that's part of the Canoe Landing Campus in City Place, is already impressing with its massive 160,000 square foot structure.
The city commissioned architect firm ZAS Architects to create buildings that feature sustainable design elements like an expansive green roof that will help reduce the complex's carbon footprint. The complex will include an elementary school, a child care centre, fitness facility, indoor play areas, a community kitchen, basketball courts and gardening plots.
The Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board, and City of Toronto & Childcare Services will be establishing new facilities inside the complex. Photo courtesy of ZAS Architects.
One of the most stunning design features has to be the sloping roofs. Some are fitted with live vegetation that's incorporated into the overall landscape while others use photo-voltaic panels to generate renewable sources of energy. The campus buildings form a "C" shape to better soak up the solar rays that help power the facilities and allow for more overall park space.
After over two decades of planning, the space will now be dedicated for public use. Photo courtesy of ZAS Architects.
The new greenspace will be a welcome addition to the downtown core and surrounding condo community in anticipation of the new Rail Deck Park that's set to be built nearby. Portions of the project are set to be completed by 2019.