Award

D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 2 | 85 Hazel McCallion Campus Student Centre – Sheridan College P H OTO G R A P H Y BY D O U B L E S PAC E /CO U RT E S Y M O R I YA M A & T E S H I M A A RC H I T EC T S HAZEL MCCALLION CAMPUS STUDENT CENTRE – SHERIDAN COLLEGE by LAURIE JONES F or the students and staff at Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, the new Hazel McCallion Campus (HMC) Student Centre has been a welcome addition to daily liv- ing at the school. The 70,000-square-foot complex was inspired by the student commu- nity and offers a lounge and coffee area, blended with a study or gath- ering space, and a games room for activities such as ping-pong. The double-height gym features a modern basketball court, and an elevated, two-tone blue running track that wraps around the fourth floor, traversing through the fit- ness area, then around the gym. The top-notch exercise equipment is another reason for students to stay on campus for their downtime. The HMC project manager, Lucas Laurenssen, was a former student at Sheridan College so this proj- ect has a special meaning to him. "When I was going to school here from 2007 to 2010, we didn't have anything like this centre," he says. "Now that students have those spaces to enjoy, it's really satisfying to see. They don't have to go off campus to work out, to have coffee and lunch, or go to the pub with their friends – it's all there at their fingertips." Laurenssen explains that an exist- ing building was constructed in 2017 which housed most of the academic offices, and the new, five-storey com- plex was added with similar systems integrated into both. "Previously, the Athletic Centre had an office and a tiny workout area with a cou- ple of pieces of equipment. Now this building has an abundance of space for gathering, more equip- ment, and the highlight is the large, two-storey atrium space with a cathe- dral ceiling and oversized sliding glass doors for enhanced natural light and indoor/outdoor living. In 2016, a survey was sent out to stu- dents to see what they would like to see in a new centre and their ideas were incorporated into the design." One of the stand-out features in the atrium and student lounges is the wood ceiling, which extends to the exterior entrance. "We were looking for something that had a warmer feel to it, so the wood ceilings and wood millwork around the bar and study spaces gave it a softer feel than some of the academic spaces it's attached to," says Will Klassen, associate with Moriyama & Teshima Architects. "The school is located in Mississauga's downtown core, next to Scholars' Green Park, so we wanted to take advantage of the views of the green areas surrounding the campus." Klassen says the gym was a much- needed amenity for the students. "Because Sheridan is in an urban location, standard gyms can often be seen as a large, opaque structure. With the HMC Centre, we lifted the gym onto levels three and four of the five-storey complex. This procedure needed some sophisticated structural strategies to accomplish that design. But this is what allowed us to open the entire ground floor to the park." In the atrium area, a mezza- nine with study spaces overlooks the ground floor, and offers other areas for student to gather. "The fifth floor is primarily dedicated to a large meet- ing room that is used by the Sheridan Senate as well as other groups throughout the university. There is also a big rooftop terrace that over- looks the park," says Klassen. Another interesting feature of this building is the metal fins, or sunshades that enclose the gym at different scales and different angles. These help to reduce the solar heat gain inside and changes the look of the building throughout the day. Some of the areas, like the gym, give a glowing effect at night, like a beacon at the end of the park. Imad Zaoudé, project manager with Pomerleau Inc. says the two build- ings are connected on the first three floors. "One of our favourite aspects to this centre is the floating running track," he says. "It's not resting on pil- lars or columns; it's suspended from above. The blue colours go well with the exposed structural steel in the basketball court that has been painted stark white." Also in the basketball area, the wood floors blend well with the acous- tic wall panels, and the basketball flooring was created with a floating floor concept. A LOCATION 4226 Duke of York Blvd., Mississauga, Ontario OWNER /DEVELOPER Sheridan College Institute of Technology ARCHITECTS ( JV) Moriyama & Teshima Architects / Montgomery Sisam Architects GENER AL CONTR ACTOR Pomerleau Inc. STRUCTUR AL CONSULTANT WSP MECHANICAL /ELECTRICAL /LEED/ SECURIT Y CONSULTANT MCW Consultants Ltd. TOTAL SIZE 70,000 square feet TOTAL COST $43 million

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