Tag Archives: Ryerson University

Ryerson Image Centre opens tonight

Ryerson Image Centre

September 25 2012: The entrance to the new Ryerson Image Centre (RIC) at 33 Gould Street on the Ryerson University campus. The RIC opens to the public tonight.

 

Ryerson Image Centre night photo by Tom Arban

The RIC occupies the west side of the Ryerson University School of Image Arts building, the northwest corner of which is seen in this Tom Arban night photo provided courtesy of Diamond Schmitt Architects. Click on both photos to view larger-size images of each.

 

Open doors: Arts aficionados finally get to visit the newest destination on the city’s ever-expanding cultural landscape tonight when the Ryerson Image Centre (RIC) leaves its doors open all night long as part of the Scotiabank Nuit Blanche festival.

The RIC is situated in the School of Image Arts building, which recently won the 2012 AL Light & Architecture Design Award for Best Use of Colour. Originally a brewery with few exterior windows, the brick building was expanded and totally transformed into a showcase faculty and gallery facility designed by Toronto’s Diamond Schmitt Architects. In sharp contrast to the original structure, transparent glazing lets people see in and out  three sides of the redesigned building while an LED system concealed in the exterior double-glass cladding lights up the university campus at night with a regularly-changing array of colours. (See my September 10 2012 post for full details and photos of the building and its lighting system.)

 

 

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Shoring & excavation work underway for new Ryerson University student learning centre

Ryerson University Student Learning Centre

August 18 2012: Gould Street view of foundation drilling and excavation activity on the site of the new Ryerson University Student Learning Centre

 

Ryerson University Student Learning Centre

August 18 2012:  The $112 million Student Learning Centre is being built at the northeast corner of Yonge & Gould Streets, just a short distance from the Aura condo tower currently under construction at College Park (center rear). Aura has climbed 33 floors on its way to 78.

 

Ryerson University Student Learning Centre

A rendering of the Centre, which was designed by Toronto’s Zeidler Partnership Architects and Snøhetta of Oslo and New York City. Although the soaring Aura condos — Canada’s tallest residential tower — will dominate the Yonge Street landscape, the Student Learning Centre’s stunning facade will grab plenty of attention, too.

 

Shoring up: Drilling, shoring and excavation work is in full swing at the northeast corner of Yonge & Gould Streets, where the $112 million Ryerson University Student Learning Centre is under construction.

The City approved the project late last year; however, it took until late spring of this year for city staff to issue building permits. Work finally started during the third week of June.

 

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Builder donates $40 million to SickKids Tower

SickKids Research & Learning Tower

Construction on the SickKids Centre for Research & Learning tower dominates the view north from the intersection of Bay and Queen Streets

 

Record gift: The head of the biggest home building company in Canada has donated a whopping $40 million to what will become the country’s biggest highrise research facility.

The gift from Peter Gilgan, the founder, president and CEO of Mattamy Homes, was announced publicly on Wednesday. The donation will support construction and operating costs for the 21-storey, $400 million Centre currently under construction at the northwest corner of Bay and Elm Streets.

 

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Ryerson University unveils plans to build 500-bed student highrise residence near Jarvis & Dundas

new Ryerson student residence

An artistic illustration by IBI Group Architects of the student residence  Ryerson University plans to build in the Jarvis-Dundas area

 

186-188 Jarvis Street Toronto

February 28 2012: Looking west at the 186-188 Jarvis Street site on which Ryerson University will build its new student accommodations

 

New student digs: A new 500-bed residence planned for the Jarvis & Dundas area will help Ryerson University meet burgeoning demand for student accommodation while bringing more liveliness and energy to a downtown streetscape that could clearly use some enhancement.

The residence — to be built on what is currently a pay parking lot at 186-188 Jarvis Street — is expected to feature a 2-storey podium containing cafés and retail outlets topped by “a 20+ storey building offering a mix of 1, 2, 3 and 4 bedroom units,” the university announced in a media release.

 

 

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November opening still uncertain for Loblaws store in Maple Leaf Gardens; Ryerson anticipates winter finish for athletics centre on building’s upper levels

Maple Leaf Gardens Toronto

November 1 2011: A mid-morning view of Maple Leaf Gardens at the northwest corner of Church & Carlton Streets

 

Coming soon:  “When is it finally going to open?” That question is almost constantly on the minds of thousands of people who live and work near the intersection of Church and Carlton Streets, where construction activity both inside and outside the Maple Leaf Gardens building continues at a relentless pace.

For residents of nearby condos, co-ops and apartments, the long-overdue opening of the historic hockey arena’s new occupants — including a Loblaws grocery store, an LCBO liquor outlet, and Ryerson University’s Athletics Centre at the Gardens — won’t happen soon enough. They are weary from months of traffic restrictions on sidewalks and streets adjacent to the Gardens, as well as the daily disruption, dirt and noise from both construction work and the heavy concrete trucks, equipment and supply vehicles, and portable cranes that steadily stream to and from the project site.

Also eagerly anticipating an end to construction are hockey and heritage fans, as well as countless other people who are simply curious to see how the Gardens’ interior has been transformed during the two years since the revitalization project began.

Relief for all is now in the foreseeable future since the grocery store appears poised for a possible November opening, while the Ryerson athletic centre is on track for completion and occupancy sometime during the upcoming winter months.

 

Massive recruitment drive

Although a Loblaws spokesperson told me yesterday that details for the grocery store opening date haven’t been determined yet, the neighbourhood has been buzzing with word it could be open for business in as few as two to three weeks’ time. Loblaws recently launched a massive recruitment drive, hiring hundreds of part-time staff to work in what is shaping up to become the chain’s premier flagship store. Several new staff told me they’ve been training at various Toronto Loblaws stores during the past three weeks. They said they initially were advised they would be working in the Gardens by the end of this week, but the date was pushed back and they’re now expecting to start work in the new store shortly after the middle of the month. Similarly, staff at a nearby liquor store said they have been told the new LCBO Gardens outlet should be open sometime between the middle and end of November. From what I could see through windows and open doors earlier this week, however, a Loblaws opening closer to December appears more likely.

Meanwhile, Ryerson students will have to wait several more months before they’ll get to check out the university’s new sports and recreation facilities. According to the Ryerson University website, the sports centre is expected to be completed and ready for occupancy in “winter 2012.” A status update on the website says some of the construction activity currently underway includes “work on the roof dormers along the west side of the dome roof. Roof dormers are connected to the dome and are openings that provide ventilation to allow air to flow into the arena from the mechanical system. Work on the Carlton Street marquee is also underway; this canopy over the main entrance is being reinforced by additional steel and is being prepared for the installation of the historic ‘Maple Leaf Gardens’ signage. The installation of glass windows on the street level, light fixtures in the stairwells and the fire alarm system is also in progress. Work on the mechanical system continues, including installing piping for the gas, sprinkler and the hot and cold water systems.”

The Loblaw Companies Limited website doesn’t provide any information about its Gardens location, but the Ryerson University website says the architectural team for the Gardens transformation includes Turner Fleischer Architects Inc. for the “base building” and BBB Architects Inc. for the “Ryerson fit up.” Heritage consultant is E.R.A. Architects Inc.

Below are some of my recent photos of activity on the outside of Maple Leaf Gardens. I haven’t been able to photograph inside the building; however, if you want to see what’s been happening there, the Ryerson Builds webpage features a slideshow with 42 photographs showing construction activity inside the Gardens between January 2010 and September of this year (I have posted one of those pics below). The homepage of the Turner Fleischer website includes a direct link to more photos, from December 2009 to October 2010, in an album entitled “Maple Leaf Gardens Progress.” Additional photos can be viewed in my previous posts on the Gardens makeover: June 14 2011, April 14 2011, and March 29 2011.

 

Ryerson Athletics Centre at the Gardens

 From the Ryerson Builds webpage, this photo from September 2011 shows building progress on the NHL-sized hockey rink at the university’s new athletics centre. A slideshow on the webpage includes 41 more photos of construction activity inside Maple Leaf Gardens.

 

Maple Leaf Gardens Toronto

 November 1 2011:  The Carlton Street facade of Maple Leaf Gardens. The public sidewalk next to the building, along with one lane of westbound traffic, have been closed virtually all of this year.

 

Maple Leaf Gardens Carlton Street entrance marquee

November 1 2011: The canopy over the Carlton Street entrance is being reinforced with extra steel. Maple Leaf Gardens signage will be installed on the marquee.

 

Maple Leaf Gardens

November 1 2011: The entrance to the Loblaws grocery store will be at the Gardens’ southeast corner.

 

Maple Leaf Gardens

November 1 2011: Part of the frame for the corner canopy was put in place several weeks ago, but entrance doors haven’t yet been installed

 

Maple Leaf Gardens

September 3 2011: Looking west from Church Street at the sidewalk and street closure along the Gardens’ Carlton Street facade.

 

Maple Leaf Gardens

October 1 2011: Passersby will be able to see into the new Loblaws grocery store through these windows which were installed in the Gardens’ Church Street facade

 

Maple Leaf Gardens

October 8 2011: Another view of the new windows along Church Street

 

Maple Leaf Gardens

November 1 2011: New sidewalks being installed on Church Street

 

Maple Leaf Gardens

November 1 2011: Although new sidewalks are being installed on Church Street, work on the east wall of the Gardens is far from finished

 

Maple Leaf Gardens

November 1 2011: Grocery store windows on the east side of the building. Traffic on Church Street was restricted during sidewalk replacement work.

 

Maple Leaf Gardens

November 1 2011: The northeast corner of Maple Leaf Gardens, at Church and Wood Streets. The stretch of Wood Street next to the Gardens is usually crowded with cranes, concrete trucks, heavy construction vehicles and equipment.

 

Maple Leaf Gardens

November 1 2011: Newly-installed windows near the northeast corner of the building. During the spring and summer, this was one of three separate spots where concrete trucks and other vehicles could access the interior of the Gardens.

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Maple Leaf Gardens November 1 2011

November 1 2011: A crew uses a portable lift to work on the Wood Street facade. A red construction elevator rises from the building’s north side, providing access to the Ryerson sports facilities being built on the upper levels inside the Gardens.

 

Maple Leaf Gardens

November 1 2011: Looking east along Wood Street at the external construction elevator and a truck delivering concrete for the Ryerson Athletics Centre at the Gardens. This stretch of street is usually jammed with cranes, lifts and trucks.

 

Maple Leaf Gardens November 1 2011

November 1 2011: Trailer-sized mechanical equipment on the roof of the Gardens dwarf two construction supervisors looking down onto Church Street.

 

Maple Leaf Gardens

August 2 2011: This mechanical equipment is a new Gardens fixture; it was installed only this year, during the spring and summer.

 

Maple Leaf Gardens

November 3 2011: Two men on a portable lift work on the Church Street facade

 

 

Public meeting tomorrow for Ryerson University’s Student Learning Centre development plan

Ryerson University Student Learning Centre

An illustration of the new Ryerson University Student Learning Centre appears on this sign at the building site at the NE corner of Yonge and Gould Streets

 

Ryerson University Student Learning Centre

Statutory public meeting notice at the development site

 

Ryerson ready to roll:  Construction of the new Ryerson University Student Learning Centre could begin within weeks if the development plan gets approval, as is widely expected, during two key meetings at Toronto City Hall this month. The university’s proposal is being reviewed by Toronto and East York Community Council tomorrow morning and, depending upon what’s decided there, could get the final go-ahead from City Council at its meeting on November 29.

City planners have recommended approval for the municipal zoning bylaw amendments that would be required to permit the project to proceed. In an October 12 2011 staff report, they wrote that the new Student Learning Centre will provide “a unique architectural contribution to Yonge Street, and a gateway to Ryerson University, increasing its presence and visibility on Yonge Street. It will revitalize a section of Yonge Street currently the site of a vacant lot, provide necessary student space to a growing student population, add minimal new shadow to Yonge Street and provide retail space in accordance with Official Plan Policies.”

The university has already applied for shoring and excavation permits, and expects them to be approved in December. Construction could then quickly commence on the 9-storey, 155,464 square foot building, which will rise on the northeast corner of Yonge and Gould Streets (the official municipal address is 341-355 Yonge Street). The university hopes will be completed and ready for occupancy during the winter of 2014. Designed by Toronto’s Zeidler Partnership Architects and Snøhetta of Oslo and New York City, the facility will cost an estimated $112 million. The Ontario government is providing $45 million, while the university is kicking in another $45 million itself. Fundraising will seek to top up the $22 million balance.

 

‘A bold step in city building’

Ryerson unveiled artistic illustrations of the Student Learning Centre to much fanfare in April of this year. At the time, the university said its “stunning new building” will not only “provide Ryerson students with an outstanding environment to study, collaborate and discover,” but also will be “a transformative, bold development and an important step forward in city building.”

Although the university received considerable praise for Zeidler and Snøhetta’s daring and dazzling design, the contemporary architecture drew its share of criticism. As city planners noted in their October 12 report, the design received a mixed reaction from residents and neighbourhood business owners who attended a May 4 2011 community consultation meeting, “with some liking it and others feeling that it did not fit into the context of Yonge Street even if they approved of the overall design. The principal objections were to the size and location of the retail space. Many felt that the amount of retail provided at-grade was not sufficient and that the below-grade retail would not function as desired. Other issues raised were the height and massing of the building, especially as it relates to context and shadow impacts, lack of parking, a discussion on the location of the second TTC exit from Dundas subway station, and encroachments upon the City laneway.”

 

Insufficient retail space?

Planners also received five letters that outlined opposition to the Ryerson proposal, generally on the grounds that “that the design was not compatible with Yonge Street, and that the provision of retail was insufficient. Some felt that the design was interesting and would support it in another area of the City. The Downtown Yonge BIA, in particular, sought a significant redesign of the proposed structure to bring it into conformity with the existing zoning bylaw and supply significantly more retail.” On the other hand, Cadillac-Fairview Corporation, owner of the Toronto Eaton Centre just one block south on Yonge Street, sent planners a letter  “which lauded the design and the development of a vacant parcel of land on Yonge Street.”

For their part, city planners concluded that the proposed retail component for the Student Learning Centre actually does satisfy official city policies. “The primary purpose of this building is to function as a learning, meeting and research space for the student body and an important public building,” they pointed out. “Retail, although the primary function along Yonge Street, is a secondary function of the proposed building.”

 

‘Landmark architecture’

Moreover, “the Official Plan encourages the creation of landmark buildings through the Yonge Dundas Redevelopment project,” the planners noted. “The Ryerson Student Learning Centre qualifies as a landmark architectural building and the changes brought to the area place a new emphasis on Gould Street as the entrance to Ryerson. Although the plan encourages that buildings respect the traditional built form characteristics of Yonge Street, it directs any specific change to the Yonge and Dundas area. The Ryerson Student Learning Centre represents a rational extension of the Yonge and Dundas redevelopment as it is in close proximity to the AMC Theatre complex formally known as Toronto Life Square, separated only by an empty parcel of land which once contained the Empress Hotel.”

But the planners were quick to caution that since the Student Learning Centre has a special status “given the important investment in public infrastructure this building represents,” their recommendation to approve the project should not be viewed as suggesting that the City is opening the door to similar contemporary development along Yonge Street.

 

‘No precedent for further redevelopment’

“The Ryerson Student Learning Centre represents an important institutional investment for Toronto and Ryerson University. It provides a gateway to Ryerson University, a unique architectural experience and much needed reinvestment. By providing retail at grade, the Ryerson Student Learning Centre will also help animate Yonge Street as well as providing space for students. Due to its proximity to Yonge and Dundas Square, its institutional use, the lack of significant shadow impact, the location as a gateway to Ryerson University and the built form context, this unique building should not be considered a precedent for further redevelopment on Yonge Street. City Planning Staff find that the proposed building and the rezoning required for its construction is in the public interest and constitutes good planning.”

The Student Learning Centre project is one of numerous items on tomorrow’s agenda for the Toronto and East York Community Council. The public meeting starts at 10 a.m. in Committee Room 1 at City Hall.

Below are photos of the Student Learning Centre site this morning as well as a rendering, from the Ryerson University website, suggesting how the centre’s retail facade on Yonge Street will look. Renderings of the building interior can be viewed in my April 8 2011 post about the project, while earlier photos of the building site — including the iconic Sam the Record Man store that previously occupied the property — can be viewed in my February 15 2011 post.

 

Ryerson University Student Learning Centre

This rendering depicts the building’s retail facade along Yonge Street. The rendering is by Labtop USA Corp / Zeidler Snøhetta.

 

Ryerson Student Learning Centre site

November 1 2011: Ryerson Student Learning Centre site viewed from Gould Street at O’Keefe Lane, looking northwest across Yonge Street

 

Ryerson University Student Learning Centre site

November 1 2011: The Ryerson property is close to two other major construction sites. Cranes for the new SickKids Research and Learning Tower on Bay Street are visible at left rear, while cranes for the 75-storey Aura condominium tower at Yonge & Gerrard Streets are visible at right.

 

Ryerson University Student Learning Centre

November 1 2011: Looking north across the Ryerson University Student Learning Centre site from the southwest corner of Yonge and Gould Streets

 

Ryerson University Student Learning Centre

November 1 2011: The Student Learning Centre will have underground and above-grade connections to the existing Ryerson University Library building (right)

 

Ryerson University Student Learning Centre

September 3 2011: Looking north from Gould Street at the strip of retail shops along the west side of Yonge Street, opposite the Student Learning Centre site

 

Elm Street between Yonge & Bay Streets Toronto

March 7 2011: Looking east along Elm Street toward the Student Learning Centre site. The new 9-storey building will dominate this sightline, rising directly in front of the concrete Ryerson University Library building. Like the library, the centre will be 51 meters tall (including mechanical equipment).

 

Ontario gov’t to provide $56.4 million for new Health Sciences Building at Ryerson University

Ryerson University Student Learning Centre site

June 20 2011: Crews clear demolition debris from the site where the Ryerson University Student Learning Centre will be built. The Ontario government will provide funds for Ryerson to construct a new Health Sciences Building, too.

 

Ryerson growing bigger: It has been just over three months since Ryerson University unveiled the stunning design for the new Student Learning Centre it will begin building later this year at the northeast corner of Yonge and Gould Streets downtown. Now, the rapidly-growing university needs to find a site for a new Health Sciences Building — and select an architect to design it.

Today, the Ontario government announced it will provide Ryerson with $56.4 million to construct a new Health Sciences Building that will feature “state-of-the-art labs and classrooms to house a number of health-related programs, including the Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing.” The popular downtown university, which already has 28,000 students, will be able to increase its enrolment by 1,800, thanks to the province’s financial “investment” in the new building.

The university hasn’t yet selected a site for the facility, and also has not yet chosen an architectural firm to design it, said Janet Mowat, Ryerson’s Director, Public Affairs / Marketing and Communications, when I inquired if any renderings are available.

I’m keen to find out if the Health Sciences Building will be constructed somewhere on the Ryerson campus or at another location in the immediate vicinity. (Hmm … I wonder if Ryerson has attempted to acquire the 335 Yonge Street site that has sat empty since the ruins of a heritage building destroyed in a suspicious January fire were cleared away during the winter. That property is directly across Gould Street from the Student Learning Centre site — but might not be big enough for a new campus building.)

I’m also anxious to see if the university will ask architects to come up with another eye-popping design, like the spectacular building that Toronto’s Zeidler Partnership Architects and Snøhetta of Oslo and New York City conceived for the Student Learning Centre. (Full details of that construction project, along with architectural renderings of the Centre’s design, are provided in my April 8 2011 post.)

Ryerson’s  popularity with students has been surging in recent years. According to the university, Ryerson “has the highest ratio in Ontario of first choice applications from secondary-school students to number of places available.” The university has been experiencing a building boom, too, to accommodate its increasing enrolment. Already more than halfway through construction is the Ryerson Gallery and Research Centre at the corner of Gould and Bond Streets, which I profiled in a January 12 2011 post and in an April 2011 follow-up post. Next up will be the Student Learning Centre where site preparation work is underway and, after that, the Health Sciences Building. And since early spring, the university has been undertaking major sidewalk and streetscape improvements to the new Gould Street-Victoria Street pedestrian zone on its campus.

Below are recent photos of the Student Learning Centre site, as well as the streetscape improvements on Gould and Victoria Streets.

 

Ryerson University Student Learning Centre site

April 30 2011: Ryerson University Student Learning Centre site viewed from the corner of Gould Street and O’Keefe Lane, looking to the northwest

 

Ryerson University Student Learning Centre site

April 30 2011: Student Learning Centre site looking southwest from O’Keefe Lane

 

335 Yonge Street

April 30 2011: The empty lot at 335 Yonge Street, where an 1880s-era heritage building was destroyed by fire in early January of this year. This property is situated directly across Gould Street from the Student Learning Centre location.

 

Gould Street on the Ryerson University campus

April 30 2011: Streetscape improvements underway on Gould Street near the Ryerson Gallery and Research Centre construction site (rear)

 

Victoria Street on Ryerson University campus

April 30 2011: Ryerson streetscape improvements along Victoria Street

 

Ryerson University Student Learning Centre site

May 13 2011: Development proposal sign at the Student Learning Centre site

 

Ryerson University Student Learning Centre site

May 13 2011: Looking north from Gould Street at the Student Learning Centre site. This was the location of the former Sam the Record Man flagship store.

 

 

Keeping tabs on … Ryerson Gallery & Research Centre

Ryerson Gallery and Research Centre

April 30 2011: Ryerson Gallery and Research Centre exterior construction progress viewed from the northeast corner of Bond and Gould Streets

 

Colourful facade: It’s not scheduled to open until September 2012, but the Ryerson Gallery and Research Centre looks more and more complete each time I walk past — from the outside. Inside, it’s a much different story; at night, when lights are on and you can see through the huge windows, it’s obvious that substantial interior construction work remains to be done. The facility, which is part of Ryerson University’s School of Image Arts, will be “an international centre of excellence for the study, teaching, research and public exhibition of photography, new media and film,” the university website states. It also will be one of the most colourful buildings in downtown Toronto at night, thanks to a programmable multicoloured light show that emanates from thousands of LED lights behind the Centre’s translucent glass exterior. The Centre was designed by Diamond + Schmitt Architects. According to the Ryerson University website, the Centre “will have more space for students to mingle, lounge, study and collaborate; improved faculty offices; renovated digital imaging facilities and dedicated production areas; greater accessibility, particularly with washrooms and elevators; and more natural light. Landscaping will fully integrate the building into the newly pedestrianized Gould Street.”  Below are photos I’ve taken of the Ryerson Gallery and Research Centre between late February and today. Additional images of earlier construction progress can be viewed in my January 12 2011 post.

Ryerson Gallery and Research Centre

February 25 2011: Dusk provides an opportunity to see inside the Centre and view ongoing testing of the facade’s LED light show

Ryerson Gallery and Research Centre

February 25 2011: Another Gould Street view of the Centre’s north side

 

Ryerson Gallery and Research Centre

February 25 2011: The west side of the Centre viewed from the skating rink

 

Ryerson Gallery and Research Centre

February 25 2011: Thousands of programmable LED lights behind the building’s translucent glass exterior will illuminate the Centre at night

 

Ryerson Gallery and Research Centre

March 11 2011: Another test of the Centre’s facade light show; testing of the light system has been ongoing since early in the year

Ryerson Gallery and Research Centre

April 8 2011: Northwest view of the Centre from Bond Street

 

Ryerson Gallery and Research Centre

April 8 2011: St George’s Greek Orthodox Church reflects in the facade

Ryerson Gallery and Research Centre

April 30 2011: Ryerson Gallery and Research Centre viewed from Gould Street

 

Ryerson Gallery and Research Centre

April 30 2011: Ryerson University expects construction to be complete in time for the building to be occupied for the 2011-2012 academic year

 

Ryerson Gallery and Research Centre

April 30 2011: Ground level view of the Centre’s northeast corner

 

Ryerson Gallery and Research Centre

April 30 2011: A view of the building’s northeast facade along Bond Street

Ryerson Gallery and Research Centre

April 30 2011: The southeast end of the Centre on Bond Street

 

Ryerson Gallery and Research Centre

April 30 2011: Northwest view of the building from Bond Street

 

Ryerson Gallery and Research Centre

April 30 2011: The center section of the east facade is still under wraps

 

Ryerson Gallery and Research Centre

April 30 2011: The glass facade on the east (Bond Street) side of the Centre

Ryerson Gallery and Research Centre

April 30 2011: A view of the Centre from the corner of Gould & Victoria Streets

Ryerson U’s sensational new Student Learning Centre will bring sparkle to the Yonge Street strip

Ryerson University Student Learning Centre

This rendering suggests how the Ryerson University Student Learning Centre will appear when viewed looking north on Yonge Street near Gould Street

 

Campus showpiece: I envy the students who will get to study and relax in the marvellous Student Learning Centre that Ryerson University unveiled this week and will begin constructing later this year. I spent six years of my life studying in university libraries and classroom buildings that were bleak, bunker-like structures with few windows allowing natural light inside. They were drab, dreary places to learn, and I often dreaded going inside. Even lounge and food service areas tended to be dim, dull and depressing — taking a break for a coffee or chat with friends just meant moving from one boring, bland building to another equally cheerless space. Ryerson’s Student Learning Centre promises to be the polar opposite.  Designed by Toronto’s Zeidler Partnership Architects and Snøhetta of Oslo and New York City, the building will be breathtaking on the outside, its flashy glass facade adding architectural excitement and sparkle to the busy Yonge Street strip between Dundas and Gerrard Streets. With a dramatic stepped plaza entrance and transparent glass walls bearing dazzling designs, the Student Learning Centre will bring tremendous visual interest to a streetcorner previously made famous by the long-gone Sam the Record Man store’s iconic neon signs. I wouldn’t be surprised if the building’s startling shape and skin slows or even stops traffic on Yonge — stunning contemporary architecture isn’t something Torontonians expect to encounter on a commercial strip characterized by boxy, unattractive buildings plastered with brilliant electronic billboards and enormous advertising posters.

The Student Learning Centre’s interior will be just as sensational. Inside, a cavernous light-filled lobby with an impressive, wide staircase will wow visitors, while upper levels of the eight-storey structure will offer huge bright spaces for study and socializing. “The Student Learning Centre will provide bright, open, technologically rich, barrier-free spaces for individual and collaborative study that will accommodate our students’ different learning styles and our faculties’ different teaching practices,” Ryerson’s Provost and Vice President Academic, Alan Shepard, said in a press release announcing the building design. The Centre will be linked by a bridge to the university’s existing library next door, will have learning and study spaces in a variety of different sizes and designs on its upper floors, and will have retail space both along Yonge and on one floor below street level. Each floor will have a unique personality — “some will be open and interpretive with flexible furniture and terraces, while others will be densely filled with enclosed study rooms for groups of four to eight people. Space will be available for independent, quiet study and contemplation. With full digital support and accessible academic services, the Student Learning Centre will foster learning success and help promote a culture of collaboration and creativity among Ryerson students,” the news release explains.

Besides becoming the architectural showpiece of the university campus, the Centre is bound to have a significant impact on the city, too. Ryerson president Sheldon Levy says the Centre will be ” a transformative, bold development and an important step forward in city building.” And there’s no doubt it will give the university’s campus, much of which is largely hidden from view between Yonge and Church Streets, an unprecedented presence and highly influential profile on the city’s main street. Zeidler Architects senior partner Tarek El-Khatib anticipates that the Student Learning Centre “will contribute to the retail and pedestrian life in the area and set the tone for ongoing revitalization in this historic commercial neighbourhood. A generous and inviting, entry plaza will gently draw both students and the general public up and into this new vertical community setting the standard for future development in the area.”

That’s something I’m personally looking forward to. I don’t particularly enjoy walking along Yonge between Dundas and College Streets; I find the sidewalks too narrow and crowded, while the retail shops and restaurants are geared to a much younger demographic — there’s practically nothing there to catch my interest and make me want to linger. I either hurry past, or avoid the strip altogether by walking up Bay Street or cutting through the Ryerson campus. But the Student Learning Centre at Gould Street, along with the Aura condo and retail complex two blocks north at Gerrard, could well become catalysts for major improvements and enhancements to the area. In a few years’ time, I just might enjoy spending time on Yonge Street once again.

Construction of the Student Learning Centre is scheduled to begin by the end of this year, with completion anticipated for 2014. Full project details are available on the media page of the Ryerson University website. The Toronto Star’s architecture and urban issues specialist, Christopher Hume, discusses the design in his April 6 2011 column, while Globe & Mail writer Omair Quadri describes the project in an April 6 2011 article in that newspaper. Below are several artistic renderings depicting some of the Student Learning Centre’s signature interior and exterior design features.

 

Ryerson University Student Learning Centre

The Student Learning Centre will feature an impressive and dramatic stepped plaza entrance at the corner of Yonge & Gould Streets

Ryerson University Student Learning Centre

The Centre’s lobby will be cavernous, but streaming with natural light

 

Ryerson University Student Learning Centre

One of the “flexible” study spaces on an upper level of the Centre

 

Ryerson University Student Learning Centre

One of the Centre’s cheery and bright open study spaces

 

Ryerson University Student Learning Centre

This illustration outlines the interior layout of the 8-storey building

 

 

Grocery store & Ryerson University sports centre gradually taking shape inside Maple Leaf Gardens

Maple Leaf Gardens revitalization project

Construction progress inside Maple Leaf Gardens on March 29 2011.


Under the big top: The enormous cavern under the big white domed roof of Maple Leaf Gardens keeps buzzing with construction activity. But there’s an awful lot of work remaining to be done before the interior of the historic hockey shrine starts looking like a grocery store and a university athletic facility. Latest word is that the Maple Leaf Gardens revitalization is scheduled for completion in December but — as is always the case with any construction project — that deadline isn’t cast in concrete and is always subject to change. In my February 2 post about the project, I mentioned what little construction progress I had been able to see when passing the Gardens while one of the construction entrance doors was open. I’ve since had a few more quick glimpses inside and today was lucky to have my camera with me when doors were opened to allow construction vehicles in and out of the building. I managed to snap a few photos which appear below, along with some other recent pics of Maple Leaf Gardens.

 

Maple Leaf Gardens revitalization

The interior arch on the west side of the hockey arena’s famous domed roof is visible above the spotlights. The new Ryerson University sports and recreation centre will occupy two floors under the dome. It will have an NHL-sized ice rink as well as a running track, basketball and volleyball courts,  a fitness centre, gym and academic space. The university facility alone is costing more than $60 million.

 

Maple Leaf Gardens revitalization

Maple Leaf Gardens interior viewed from the northeast corner of the building

 

Maple Leaf Gardens revitalization

The revitalized Maple Leaf Gardens will become home to a 70,000 square foot Loblaw grocery store at street level, with one floor of underground parking below it (partly visible at the bottom of the photo).

 

Maple Leaf Gardens revitalization

This is a typical street view of the cavernous interior of Maple Leaf Gardens — a dark, dusty space buzzing with activity as the Loblaw corporation and Ryerson University transform the Gardens into a unique multi-purpose facility.

 

Maple Leaf Gardens revitalization

A concrete pumping truck slowly backs into the Maple Leaf Gardens construction entrance on Wood Street. Earlier this winter, a hole was knocked into the wall to create an extra entrance at this location.

 

Maple Leaf Gardens revitalization

It’s a tight squeeze, but the truck manages to ease inside in less than a minute

 

Maple Leaf Gardens revitalization

February 20 2011: Windows will eventually be installed for the grocery store

 

Maple Leaf Gardens revitalization

Wide windows along the Church and Carlton Street walls of Maple Leaf Gardens will create a more pedestrian-friendly streetscape

 

Maple Leaf Gardens revitalization

February 20 2011: The southeast corner of Maple Leaf Gardens on Carlton Street

Maple Leaf Gardens revitalization

March 25 2011: Scaffolding above the Gardens’ Carlton Street entrance

 

Maple Leaf Gardens

March 25 2011: The boarded-up Carlton Street entrance to Maple Leaf Gardens


Yonge St. site ready for excavation … but when will Ryerson reveal student learning centre design?

Ryerson University Student Learning Centre

Ryerson University sign at the corner of Yonge and Gould Streets


Site’s all set: It was a year ago this week that Ryerson University announced it had selected the architecture team for the new 10-storey Student Learning Centre (SLC) it plans to build at the corner of Yonge and Gould Streets on the former site of the famous Sam The Record Man store. 

During the past couple of months, I have seen small contracting crews on the SLC site, clearing rubble and doing what appeared to be minor pre-construction site preparation work. This afternoon, the property was empty, virtually clear of debris, vehicles and heavy machinery. The site looks like it’s all set for excavation, so I’m wondering if the university may soon reveal the SLC design, and start digging.

I’m sure the whole process has been held up by events during the last two months on the south side of Gould Street, where the historic Empress Hotel building at 335 Yonge Street burned down in a fire that investigators determined was caused by arson. I’m pissed that 335 Yonge was neglected and allowed to languish, and I’m even more angry that the building had to be demolished because of the irreparable damage it suffered both from the fire and subsequent investigation procedures. Now that the beautiful heritage building is gone forever, I hope the property lands in Ryerson’s hands, so the site can be developed into an impressive Yonge Street gateway to the university’s downtown campus. (I definitely don’t want to see 335 Yonge’s owners get city approval to build a condo tower there.)

It was on February 10 last year that the university said it had picked Zeidler Partnership Architects of Toronto and Snøhetta of Oslo and New York City to be co-architects for the 160,000 square foot learning centre, a high-tech library and learning environment connected to the university’s existing library building. Ryerson is hoping the SLC can also be linked to the Yonge subway line by its own on-site entrance to the Dundas subway station. 

According to the university, “[t]he state-of-the-art Student Learning Centre will provide the latest technology and will be designed to accommodate different learning styles and teaching practices. The SLC will feature bright, open, technologically rich, barrier-free spaces for individual and collaborative study. A variety of learning environments, digital support and academic services will promote student learning success and help foster a culture of collaboration and creativity.”

Below are pics I’ve taken of the SLC site over the last few years, followed by a couple of photos showing how the site looked this afternoon.

 

Sam the Record Man Ryerson Student Learning Centre

September 26 2008: The iconic Sam the Record Man store seen shortly before its demolition. The building to its left once housed a popular A&A record outlet; after it closed, a Future Shop store occupied the spot for several years.


Sam the Record Man Ryerson Student Learning Centre

Another view of the famous Sam the Record Man store before its demolition


 Record Man Ryerson Student Learning Centre

September 26 2008: The future SLC site viewed from south of Gould Street


Ryerson Student Learning Centre

February 15 2009: Demolition of Sam the Record Man store is almost complete


Ryerson Student Learning Centre

A graffiti-covered wall along O’Keefe Lane is all that remains of the Sam’s store


Ryerson Student Learning Centre

May 2 2010: Sam’s is long gone, but demolition hasn’t begun on the A&A site


Ryerson Student Learning Centre

November 23 2010: The former A&A/Future Shop building is finally coming down


Ryerson Student Learning Centre

December 21 2010: A light layer of snow covers the cleared SLC site


Ryerson Student Learning Centre

December 21 2010:  Site viewed from O’Keefe Lane, looking west to Yonge St.


Ryerson Student Learning Centre

December 21 2010: The SLC site, looking southwest from O’Keefe Lane


Ryerson Student Learning Centre

January 5 2011: Site viewed during demolition at the 335 Yonge St. fire scene


Gould Street

January 8 2011: Gould Street during the 335 Yonge fire investigation


Ryerson Student Learning Centre

February 15 2011: The SLC site viewed from the west side of Yonge at Gould St.


Ryerson Student Learning Centre

February 15 2011: Vacant SLC site viewed from the corner of Yonge & Elm Streets


Work on massive Maple Leaf Gardens renovation project still largely hidden from public view

Maple Leaf Gardens

Maple Leaf Gardens rendering from Ryerson University website


Landmark lives on: From the outside, there have been few signs that the iconic Maple Leaf Gardens hockey shrine is gradually being transformed into a multipurpose facility housing a giant grocery store and a university athletic centre. Last fall, scaffolding and green safety nets shrouded the east and south facades during brickwork and window replacement activity. For the past two months, crews have been busy working on utilities beneath the Carlton Street sidewalk and Church Street pavement at the southeast corner of the building. Over the same period, teams have been doing some roofing work atop the arena’s famous white dome. And the past two weeks, workers have been chiselling brickwork from a section of wall on the north side of the Gardens, along Wood Street.  None of the work gives any indication that the storied, historic Gardens soon will be living a renewed life as a modern retail and recreation facility.

However, it’s a different story altogether if you get to peek inside the loading door at the northeast corner of the building whenever a cement or construction supply truck comes out or goes in. Over the past six months, I’ve had that opportunity a handful of times, managing to catch quick glimpses of the cavernous construction zone that’s largely hidden from public view. Unfortunately, I’ve never had my camera with me, so I haven’t been able to track the interior construction progress in photos. In November, I got a brief look inside while the construction workers were on their morning break. With beams of light streaming through the narrow, small windows on the Gardens’ upper walls, the dusty interior had an eerie, haunting atmosphere. The building was just a gigantic brick shell; the inside had been gutted, and the ground was being dug out to create an underground parking garage. I couldn’t see anything holding up the huge walls and vast domed roof, but assume there must have been some kind of support for all that weight. The last few times I peeked inside, it appeared that excavation work was nearly complete; meanwhile, forms several storeys tall were being assembled so concrete could be poured to build walls and floors for the 70,000-square-foot Loblaw supermarket that will occupy the ground level of the “new” Gardens. Just last week I got another look, and it seemed obvious there is an incredible amount of work still to be done to create the upper levels that will house the 150,000-square-foot Ryerson University Sports and Recreation Centre.

The Centre is a $60 million project for which the federal government is contributing $20 million under the Canada Infrastructure Stimulus Fund (the university and Loblaws are responsible for the rest). However, projects that qualify for stimulus funding must be completed by March 31 of this year — and there is clearly no way on earth the Maple Leaf Gardens transformation will be done in time. Certainly looks like an extension or exemption will be required here. I’m anxious to see work start on the building exterior — the installation of street-level windows for the supermarket, the pedestrian entrances to the two separate facilities, and of course the vehicle entrance to the underground lot. Project details are provided in a Ryerson University press release available at this link. The complexities of the Maple Leaf Gardens transformation are outlined in this article from the Daily Commercial News and Construction Record, while seven construction photos by The Globe and Mail‘s Fred Lum can be viewed at this link on the Globe website. Below are some of my photos of the Gardens exterior at different times over the past several years.

Maple Leaf Gardens

Southeast view of Maple Leaf Gardens on November 28 2008


Maple Leaf Gardens

Former Carlton Street entrance to Maple Leaf Gardens on November 28 2008


Maple Leaf Gardens

East wall brickwork and window replacement on September 4 2010


Maple Leaf Gardens

Scaffolding was removed from the east wall in early December 2010


Maple Leaf Gardens

New windows in the east wall along Church Street


Maple Leaf Gardens

Work crew atop the Maple Leaf Gardens domed roof December 21 2010


Maple Leaf Gardens

Exterior work on the west end of the Carlton Street facade December 26 2010


Maple Leaf Gardens

Ryerson University and Loblaws sign on the Church Street wall


Maple Leaf Gardens

Brick removal from the Wood Street wall on January 14 2011


Maple Leaf Gardens

Construction equipment along Wood Street on January 30 2011


Maple Leaf Gardens

Facade work continuing along Wood Street on January 30 2011


Maple Leaf Gardens

Maple Leaf Gardens viewed from Wood Street on January 30 2011


Images of Ryerson University campus reflect in exterior of new image arts school and gallery

Artistic rendering on a billboard beside the construction site on Gould Street


Ryerson reflects: A university campus is a great place for personal reflection, as a stroll past Ryerson University’s latest construction project proves.

The university is in the midst of a massive renovation and total transformation of its School of Image Arts building at the southwest corner of Bond and Gould Streets. As part of the redevelopment project, which began last year and continues until September 2012, the Ryerson Gallery and Research Centre will be incorporated into the new facility.

The gallery is intended to serve as an international centre “for the study, teaching, research and public exhibition of photography, new media and film.” It will “combine public exhibition of innovative work by professional Canadian and international artists” with academic research and education while also housing “the renowned Black Star Collection at Ryerson University and other collections in a museum-quality, climate-controlled environment.”

I’m glad to see the drab old building getting a complete overhaul, and I enjoy how the gallery’s shiny glass skin reflects nearby buildings on the Ryerson campus, including the clocktower at Kerr Hall. Unfortunately, most of the Rye U students don’t even seem to notice the gallery taking shape; they’re too busy fiddling with their smart phones as they rush past on their way to and from classes and coffee shops. But I’m sure the new school will catch their attention once the construction hoarding and fences come down, and the university joins the ranks of “the top international centres for photography and related disciplines.”

Further information and a rendering of the Ryerson Gallery and Research Centre is available here.

The photos that follow show the building’s renovation and construction progress during the past year.

 

Bond Street view of School of Image Arts renovations on March 8 2010


Bond Street view of School of Image Arts renovations on March 8 2010


Bond Street view of School of Image Arts renovations on January 5 2011


Gould Street view of School of Image Arts renovations on March 8 2010


Gould Street view of School of Image Arts renovations on Dec 21 2010


Kerr Hall courtyard view of School of Image Arts on Nov 11 2010


School of Image Arts Bond Street facade reflects Kerr Hall on Nov 11 2010


School of Image Arts reflects Kerr Hall clock tower on Dec 21 2010


West side of School of Image Arts on Dec 21 2010


West side of School of Image Arts on January 8 2011


New year, new construction milestones

2011 is getting off to a foggy, soggy start in Toronto (it’s 10 degrees Celsius and pouring rain as I write), but the wet weather won’t put a damper on the frenetic pace of building activity across the downtown area. When construction gets back to full speed next week once the holiday season has wound down, numerous projects will start, approach or reach significant stages of construction. At least five towers will make a major mark on the city skyline soon. In Yorkville, The Four Seasons Private Residences and Museum House on Bloor, both of which already have a substantial streetscape presence, will be pouring their top floors during the winter. Several blocks south, on Bay Street, the Burano condo tower is quickly climbing high, while the Living Shangri-La Torontoand Trump International Toronto hotel/condo skyscrapers are adding excitement to the Financial District skyline. Market Wharf is doing the same for the St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood. In the next few weeks, streetscapes in several different areas will transform as construction climbs above ground level at 77 Charles Westin Yorkville, The L Tower on Yonge Street, Charlie Condos in the Entertainment District, The Modern at Sherbourne and Richmond, and the Clear Spirit tower in the Distillery District. Not too far behind are Aura at College Park on Yonge Street, Cinema Tower on Adelaide Street West, Three Hundred Front Street West, The Residences of Pier 27 on the waterfront, ICE Condos and Infinity3 Condos in the South Financial District, and Couture Condos on Jarvis Street; foundation work and underground levels are progressing fast at all seven sites. In the area bounded by Bloor, Bay, Wellesley and Jarvis Streets, demolition and excavation work should soon get in full swing for five key developments: U Condos, Five Condos, Nicholas Residences, X2 Condos, and the long-awaited One Bloor tower. Digging will get underway in earnest for the Ryerson University Student Learning Centre at Yonge and Gould Streets, and for the Delta Toronto hotel and Bremner Tower office complex in the South Financial District. Meanwhile, construction should soon conclude at the Sherbourne Common park at the waterfront, as well as for the 18 York office tower and seven major residential structures: the Ritz-Carlton Toronto, Crystal Blu Condos, Uptown Residences, James Cooper Mansion, Lumiere Condos, M5V Condos, and the YWCA Elm Centre. I’ll be taking a closer look at each of the above-mentioned projects — and many more hot construction spots — in the weeks ahead.

77 Charles Street


18 York