Award

AUGUST 2018 | 95 HOEM – Ryerson University RENDERINGS COURTESY IBI GROUP ARCHITECTS; PHOTOGRAHY COURTESY RYERSON UNIVERSITY HOEM – Ryerson University by ROBIN BRUNET S tudent residence availability is always an ongoing concern for any institute of higher learning, and at Ryerson University in Toronto, which for years has been faced with growing waiting lists, the goal is to increase its res- idence capacity by 2,000 spots by 2020. But with major projects already committed to the University had to find an affordable way to build new residences. The solution, provided by MPI Group Inc. and IBI Group Architects with considerable input from University stakeholders and stu- dents, was the privately-developed 30-storey HOEM, rising like a gleaming knife-edge on Jarvis Street, a five min- ute walk from the heart of the campus. When the project was first announced in 2014, Ryerson president Sheldon Levy told media, "Our students have told us they want more and better housing options closer to campus. This new residence will do just that – adding more than 500 beds." In fact, the fin- ished building would provide 593 beds. A public-private partnership between Ryerson and the MPI Group (which subsequently led to a part- nership with the Canadian Student Communities Inc., or CSCI) resulted in the private company covering all of the construction and development costs, while the University supplied the stu- dent tenants for the building as well LOCATION 186 Jarvis Street, Toronto, Ontario OWNER Ryerson University DEVELOPER MPI Group Inc. ARCHITECT/LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT/ CIVIL CONSULTANT IBI Group Architects CONSTRUCTION MANAGER Reliance Construction STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Jablonsky, Ast and Partners MECHANICAL CONSULTANT M.V. Shore Associates ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Crossey Engineering Ltd. CIVIL/LANDSCAPE CONSULTANT IBI Group TOTAL COST $32 million as a range of services. And although in 2014 the Jarvis address was in a run-down neighbourhood, new condo- minium developments in the vicinity meant that by the time students moved into the building, their surroundings would be revitalized. The initial design vision was for a two-storey podium with retail and other services, plus a mix of apart- ment-style dorms ranging from one to four bedrooms. Amenities would include gym facilities, a yoga studio, plus a large multi-purpose room with combined recreation and work-study areas. All this was in keeping with the core principles of the Ryerson Master Plan that embraces urban intensifica- tion and design excellence. HOEM's interiors were inspired by the "full-service, comprehensive offer- ings" of U.S. and European residences, according to Matt Stein, project man- ager at CSCI, adding that "it's laid out in such a way as to promote interaction." Stein cites the laundry room as an example: "Typically, laundry rooms are buried in the basement. The laundry room at HOEM is on the ground floor with a skylight and a counter space in the middle where students can spend time." Another example is that student lounges are located on every other floor. Drummond Hassan, director, IBI Group Architects, says one reason his company in 2012 became the winning participant in a three-way competition to create HOEM was because "we have a lot of experience with high-rise resi- dential structures, and this is exactly what HOEM was intended to be rather than typical student housing, espe- cially considering the site Reliance Construction would eventually build on was postage stamp-size." He credits Ryerson and MPI with touring all over the U.S. to see what other student facilities had to offer. "This was at a time when not many student residences were being built in Canada, so they were very forward-thinking." With regards to the tower's appear- ance, form followed function in a most pleasingly esthetic manner. "We decided upon a solid wall of charcoal grey brick in a solid configuration with small win- dows on the east, and adjacent would be the lounges expressed almost as plate glass windows: a hybrid between frameless and capless glass," says Hassan. "Beside that we created a pal- ette of seemingly random window types in five shades of blue; and on the north side of the building we created a mass of windows augmented by a pat- tern of fibre cement panels." Hassan adds that patterns of glazing and panel cladding "were an economi- cal way to break up a window wall and make it appear striking." Considerable testing to address water issues was required to get approval for the two level underground garage, and the civil engineers at IBI also had to make accommodations for additional drainage in the rear lane. "Plus there were urban design issues related to the Jarvis Street side of the building," says Hassan. Construction drawings were issued in February of 2016; the Reliance crews overcame the narrow site con- fines and quickly the building took shape, with 6.5-metre setbacks on the south face and seven metres on the north face from the fourth floor up to ensure good views for occupants. Nao Nguyen, associate principal for Crossey Engineering Ltd., points out that, "the lighting, power, security, and of course mechanical equipment were all geared towards energy efficiency. LEDs were used throughout, along with occupancy sensors. But there was also room for creative expression, such as upscale lighting in the public spaces, which further rendered this project more of a residential high-rise than a student residence." From Ryerson's perspective, HOEM is not only a much-needed addition to its housing inventory, it could be the way similar facilities are developed moving forward. "All the financial risk is taken on by the private developer, and the economics of that work for them because our demand is so high," said Julia Hanigsberg, VP of adminis- tration and finance earlier this year when HOEM was nearing completion. "This sort of private developer deal around student housing is pretty new in Canada; it could be a template for future deals as well." Hassan is equally satisfied with the outcome: "The University administra- tion was very supportive, and I would single out MPI for credit because this was their first student residence, and they were extremely respectful of stu- dent needs and determined to do a good job – which in fact they did." A 8:47 AM

• Cover