TORONTO — York University and the Schulich School of Business in Toronto recently opened the Rob and Cheryl McEwen Graduate Study and Research Building, a new facility designed by Baird Sampson Neuert Architects that the school says is one of the most environmentally sustainable and socially responsible academic buildings in North America.
The new 67,000-square-foot building, which is named after the long-time supporters who donated $8 million towards Schulich’s expansion, is expected to bring industry into the classroom and will accommodate academic program growth, modern research facilities and space for study and socializing.
It is attached to Schulich’s existing complex and located near the main entrance of York’s Keele campus, next to the TTC’s York University Station.
The building is one of the first to use the principles of Thermally Active Building Systems to achieve LEED Gold certification. A core feature of the environmentally responsible design is a glass solar chimney that rises 27 metres to provide passive natural ventilation for the entire building, indicates a release issued by York University.
The core of the building boasts a three-storey atrium, which is surrounded by classrooms and seminar rooms on the main floor, and lounges and seminar rooms on upper floors.
The building will house the research office for the business school as well as four centres of excellence, three of which have been established: the Centre of Excellence in Responsible Business, the Schulich Centre for Global Enterprise and the Brookfield Centre in Real Estate and Infrastructure.
A newly developed Centre of Excellence in Business Analytics and Artificial Intelligence is envisioned as a leading hub for business and academic collaboration, experiential education and research, indicates the release. The centre also incorporates the Deloitte Cognitive Analytics and Visualization Lab.
The $50-million project received $15 million in funding from the Government of Canada through the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund. The project also received $35 million from Schulich’s Leading Change fundraising campaign, including the McEwen donation, and York University.
“It is our hope that this building will inspire an explosion of collaborative research, innovation and unique student learning experiences,” said Cheryl and Rob McEwen in a statement.
“This is an incredible building, sustainable and state-of-the-art in so many ways, and a perfect reflection of Schulich’s standing as a world-class centre of management learning.”
Recent Comments
comments for this post are closed