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J U N E 2 0 2 2 | 77 Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus – University of Toronto R EN D ER I N G CO U RT E S Y W EI SS/ M A N F R ED I A RC H I T EC T U R E / L A N DS C A P E / U R BA N I S M SCHWARTZ REISMAN INNOVATION CAMPUS – UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO by NATALIE BRUCKNER I f you should wander into the heart of Toronto's Discovery District, you will encounter a striking new building that is part of the University of Toronto's (U of T) Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus (SRIC); a building that is set to turbocharge the next wave of Canadian innovation, advancing how AI, biomedicine, and other dis- ruptive technologies can enrich lives. This is phase one of the two- phase project and consists of 250,000 square feet of AI-focused tower, which will include the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society, the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence, a much-needed incu- bator and start-up space led by the University's Entrepreneurship office, and Innovations and Partnerships office, and ancillary office and collab- oration space. "As the country's leading research university, we have a vital role to play in fostering innovation. The Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus will help attract talent to the area, add to the existing innovation hub made up of MaRS and the nearby hospitals, and reinforce Toronto's role as a growing leader in the tech sector to solidify a new cornerstone for the Canadian economy," says Dave Lehto, chief of university planning, design and construction. The build, explains Lehto, was made possible thanks to a $100-mil- lion gift from The Gerald Schwartz & Heather Reisman Foundation. After being awarded the project in the summer of 2019, EllisDon had the task of demolishing the existing building and constructing the new SRIC west project. "The project site is very restricted with only one access point into the site via College St., which presented its own challenges with logistics/deliv- eries and pedestrians, for example. Daily co-ordination with the trades was required and flag persons were used to co-ordinate the required just- in-time deliveries in and out of the site," explains Sejdi Muharemi, proj- ect manager at EllisDon. For the design of the building, it took a team of visionaries to come up with a building that would not only connect to the landscape and encourage cross collaboration, but also be a good citizen of its context – a task that was awarded to Weiss/ Manfredi Architecture/Landscape/ Urbanism (design architect) in con- junction with Teeple Architects (architect of record). Being located on a sloped site gave the building an interesting form, with 13-storeys on the west and 15 sto- reys on the east. "The building also tapers because it overlooks legislative grounds and no shadow can be cast at any time of day on those grounds. We tapered the building on all sides allowing it to have that graceful sil- houette and convey its collaboration with nearby urban and academic buildings," explains Marion Weiss, co- founder of Weiss/Manfredi. For the materials, a bright precast was chosen that has a variation of con- tours and shapes that complements its surroundings, while bringing in a great deal of light. "On the oblique, the precast is very dense, but frontally it's much more open, almost like a net. Over time the precast elements will weather, making the building time- less. Vertical panels of glass have been sculpted into the façade and mark the winter gardens and major areas of circulation that are more public," explains Michael Manfredi, co- founder of Weiss/Manfredi. Approximately 600 exterior pre- cast units and 170 different forms were required to cast all the required pieces. "How the exterior façade cuts of glazing and other elements merge and blend in with the exterior precast really makes the building stand out," says Muharemi. "Overall, the design team did a tremendous job, taking the historical precast design that is a key element in the existing build- ings around the Queen's Park area, and putting a new touch to it to really make the project stand out." Lehto goes on to explain that the innovative building cladding has been designed to assist the university in reaching its overall goal to reduce energy use to 40 percent or more below ASHR AE-2013 standards, with an overall sustainability target equiv - alent to LEED Gold. Michael Robbins, senior director at Antamex Façade Retrofits, adds that the glazing scope was made up of two distinct packages both with their own unique design and installation chal- lenges. "The principal objective was to design glazing systems that met both the aesthetic and performance criteria as set out by the project design teams, while also considering the tricky site and logistical problems," says Robbins. For the high span punch window, Robbins adds that considerations needed to be made because the win- dows would be going into sloped precast openings that would have larger align- ment tolerance than a stud or block opening, "so maintaining a consistent and robust air seal was paramount. "At the vertical stacked curtain wall 13 custom preassembled megawall frames were created consisting of five glass units across to help both facilitate an extremely tight install condition and better control the primary air and water seals by having a shop assembled detail," says Robbins. Surrounding the building is a generous ground-floor plaza that is activated by rain gardens and café seating – this creates a welcoming and animated frontage along College Street, while the exterior terraces of the winter gardens above offer expan- sive views of the Toronto skyline. On approaching the building from the West, you will notice the stairs that connect the winter gardens and floors together. This is also an area for connection and has a living, breath- ing narrative to it. "The arrival to the building has a level of transparency with two-floor double-height trans- parency on the south side – people can look into the café area and meet- ing areas upstairs, as well as the social spaces and lounge areas in the lobby," says Weiss. Inside, you will be struck by the polished concrete that contrasts beau- tifully with wood walls and ceilings. Lehto adds that encouraging cross-collaboration was key and pro- grammatic shared spaces have been distributed vertically through the buildings. "Among the collabora- tive spaces are a three-storey atrium, multiple instructional spaces includ- ing a large 200-seat multipurpose room, shared meeting rooms, lounge spaces, winter gardens and a café, all serving to foster exchange and build a community of entrepreneurs and innovators," says Lehto. For the systems, the building fea- tures in-floor heating and meet all of Toronto's green building standards. Solar panels, highly reduced lighting loads due to the excellent daylighting opportunities achieved through small floor plates, heat recovery, and storm- water capture and reuse are just a few other sustainable elements of note. "We see this project as a key gate- way to the university, an opportunity for the university to connect with the city, and for the city to connect with the university," says Lehto, to which Weiss adds: "A shout out to the University of Toronto as a client who have been bold in taking on a program that is unprecedented and effectively recognizing that architecture can move that narrative forward in pro- ductive ways." A LOCATION 112 College Street, Toronto, Ontario OWNER /DEVELOPER University of Toronto DESIGN ARCHITECT WEISS/MANFREDI Architecture/Landscape/Urbanism ARCHITECT OF RECORD Teeple Architects GENER AL CONTR ACTOR EllisDon Construction STRUCTUR AL CONSULTANT Thornton Tomasetti MECHANICAL /ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Crossey Engineering L ANDSCAPE ARCHITECT DTAH TOTAL SIZE (PHASE 1) 250,000 square feet TOTAL COST Undisclosed

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