Heritage Designations on Campus

Founders College (credit: York University)

Although the history of the Keele Campus only spans a little over 50 years, much of its built landscape is widely recognized as a significant component of Toronto’s architectural realm.

In 1997 North York Council Members voted to include 14 buildings on the Keele Campus within the inventory of North York’s Modernist Architecture. These buildings are representative of a distinctive design era and as such, Council also voted in 2009 to include the structures in the City-wide heritage inventory.

McLaughlin College (credit: York University)

The buildings listed may come as a surprise to some, noted City preservation office Marilyn Miller. “You won’t see buildings designed like that now, but they do represent their time.”

However, Don Valley East Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong questioned their value more directly: “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” he said. “But some of these buildings, I find them rather unattractive.”

Scott Library (credit: York University)

The 14 buildings are:

Atkinson College (1966)

Behavioural Sciences Building (1966)

Farquarson Life Sciences Building (1970)

Founders College (1965)

Steadman Lecture Halls (1966)

McLaughlin College (1969)

Osgoode Hall Law School (1968)

Petrie Sciences (1968)

Ross Building (1970)

Scott Library (1970)

Staecie Science Library (1966)

Tait McKenzie Physical Education (1966)

Vanier College (1967)

Winter’s College (1967)

Behavioural Sciences Building (credit: York University)

Furthermore, City Council is recommending that four buildings be listed under the Ontario Heritage Act. The Jacob Stong House and Barn (1854), Abraham Hoover House (1848) and Jacob Snider House (1830) are currently under review. If included under the Heritage Act, these buildings would be protected and preserved as important cultural features in Ontario’s built environment.

Jacob Stong House (credit: York University)

Jacob Snider House (credit: York University)

The City’s Heritage Preservation Services are also reviewing a number of post-modern buildings for possible designation as works of architectural significance. These include the Schulich School of Business and the Welcome Centre.

York University is fortunate to have such a diverse array of architectural works and is working to continue this tradition by commissioning innovative, sustainable and state-of-the-art additions to the campus landscape.

What is your favourite building on campus?

Architecture Fridays: The Honour Court and the William Small Centre

Honour Court (credit: York University

The Honour Court, nestled along York Boulevard, serves as the first impression of the Keele Campus for visitors to the University. The sleek, concrete and stone structure was designed by Stephen Teeple and Associates to soften the entrance to the campus. Completed in 2000, the building has won multiple awards including the 2002 Award of Excellence from the Ontario Architects Association and the Circle of Excellence Award from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education.

Furthermore, the project has been recognized for its innovative approach to donor recognition programs. The Pavilion Wall of the Honour Court is constructed from five types of granite bocks, each which mark the cumulative gifts of donors since the University’s founding in 1959. This permeable and open-ended wall remains light and airy throughout the daytime while allowing a soft glow from internal lighting to filter through in the evening, illustrating the University’s capacity for continued growth.

Arboretum Parking Garage (credit: York University)

Of a similar vintage is the William Small Centre and Arboretum Parking Garage. Completed in 2003 by Robbie/Young + Wright and Rich and Associates. With a strategic intent to minimize crime through design, the ceilings and columns in the parking garage are painted white to maximize light availability. Another little-known fact about this structure is the outdoor astronomical observation deck located on the roof of the garage, perfect for stargazing!

Green Buildings on Campus

(credit: York University)

Built in partnership between York University and Seneca College, the Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Building showcases the commitment of both institutions to creating a more sustainable future for students, faculty and staff.

Envisioned as a ‘place of discovery’ by famed architects Moriyama & Teshima, the 2003 TEL Building fosters a culture of growth, learning and exploration through its own innovative concept. The energy-efficient structure is designed to capture an abundance of natural light, which warms the structure while enhancing spaces for social interaction, lectures and meetings. These and other green initiatives contribute to the building’s 25% reduction in energy consumption!

(credit: York University)

Constructed in 2004 as another environmentally-friendly project by architectsAlliance, the Pond Road Residence incorporates leading-edge sustainable initiatives into its framework. It is the newest undergraduate residence on campus and is an impressive nine storeys high to make room for a growing student population.

The building features a 1,000 square metre planted greenroof that increases thermal insulation and strategically stores ground water, reducing run-off. It also contains an “in-slab” radiant heating and cooling system that uses less energy and provides better airflow than conventional forced-air or electric heaters.

What have your experiences been with these buildings? Do you know about other sustainable initiatives on campus?

Student Centre at the Heart of Campus

(credit: York University)

The hub of student life on campus, the Student Centre serves a wide variety of purposes on the Keele Campus and is accessed each day by thousands of students, faculty and staff.

As such a highly trafficked space, the Student Centre was created to accommodate the needs of many different groups, organizations and services. The new modernist aesthetic led the design of an open-concept space that is easily adapted for new uses.

Architects A.J. Diamond and Donald Schmitt & Company designed the large structure to be the cultural, social and educational heart of the campus and to complete the linked colonnade around The Common.  Extensive wood paneling and a helical staircase create an open and airy ambiance within the Great Hall while allowing for large gatherings to take place on the main and underground levels.

The building was recognized for its balance in functional and aesthetic considerations in 1993 when it received the North York Design Awards merit for Outstanding Architecture and Design, and again in 1996 when it received the Governor-General’s Award for Architecture.

Do you frequent the student centre? Where is your favourite place to hang out or eat lunch in this building?

York U's Award-Winning Green Design

(credit: York University)

York University’s Computer Science and Engineering Building has the distinctive honour of being the first cold-weather ‘green’ building to be built by a Canadian University and reflects York’s deep commitment to sustainability. Completed in 2003, the building was designed by Toronto-based architectsAlliance in partnership with Vancouver-based Busby + Associates.

(image provided by architectsAlliance)

(image provided by architectsAlliance)

(image provided by architectsAlliance)

Built on an infill development site instead of a green field, the disturbance to surrounding wildlife and vegetation was minimized. The structure’s ventilation system forgoes any traditional ductwork and instead relies on the atrium spaces to capture heat stratification opportunities and a south-facing window façade to obtain additional warmth. The roof garden also aids in the heating and cooling by insulating the building, as does the calculated placement of computer rooms in the north end to minimize heat gain in the summer and heat loss in winter. 

These and other innovative solutions have resulted in one-third of the energy requirements of comparable buildings, which translates into a savings of 68% of energy required to heat, cool and light the structure. It is estimated that over a 75-year span the Computer Science and Engineering Building will save 85,700 tonnes of green house gas emissions equivalents, or one barrel of oil per occupant per year!

These extensive efforts towards greening the campus have not gone unnoticed. The building won the 2002 Governor General’s Award in Architecture and was named the 2002 World Architecture Magazine’s Green Building of the Year.

What greening efforts on campus are you involved in?

Art Inspires the Built Form

(credit: York University)

Accolade East and Accolade West lie at the heart of the YorkU campus. Home to the Faculty of Fine Arts, these adjacent structures were thoughtfully designed with their users in mind.

Renowned Toronto architects Zeidler Partnership, in collaboration with Bregman & Hamann Architects, were charged with creating a space that would accommodate not only lectures and office requirements, but also the needs of performers, visual artists and musicians who regularly exhibit work to the campus community.

Only recently completed in 2006, the buildings also boast state-of-the-art acoustic design. Innovative curvature to the walls and the restrained use of windows give performers the best opportunity to showcase their talents by protecting the integrity of sound in these buildings.

The designers drew inspiration from beloved Canadian artists The Group of Seven, whose distinctive northern landscape and swaying trees are reflected in the façade of the Accolade buildings and create a softened appearance to the large structures.

Do you use Accolade East or Accolade West for studying or hanging out? What do you like about these buildings?