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Architects: MJMA
- Area: 87000 ft²
- Year: 2014
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Photographs:Shai Gil
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Manufacturers: Dri-Design, Kingspan Insulated Panels, Montel
Text description provided by the architects. Centennial College is the oldest publicly funded college in Ontario with four campuses serving the Greater Toronto Area east.Near a major intersection and in the Golden Mile neighbourhood of Toronto, the Ashtonbee Campus serves as the largest transportation technology training school in Canada. The campus is surrounded by residential, parklands, and is situated within a retail / commercial / light industrial typology. While generating successful industry partnerships and a thriving training program, the circa 1970’s campus suffered from safety concerns, accessibility issues, aging infrastructure, and lacked student support services and social gathering spaces.
The goal of the new project was to rejuvenate the campus and deliver student-oriented services to support the thriving academic programming. Locating the new building at the front of the site and spanning the access roadway with a continuous second level circulation, the project expands the master planning goals by establishing a strategy to solve future opportunities and constraints. This move allows connection of all current and future buildings while creating a new expressive and open ‘face’ for the Campus.
The building forms a literal and figurative bridge over an entry court inspired by a ‘complete streets’ landscape methodology. Internally, the spaces are open and transparent with ample natural light. The project provides student-oriented programming on the campus; including a Library, Student Hub, Student Commons, Athletic Centre, Classrooms, and Study Spaces. This strategy underscores Centennial’s desire to provide its student population with adaptable, modern academic spaces.
