Buildings

Sidney Smith Hall transformation project to create space for innovative learning, teaching and research

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 19:37:35 +0000

Sidney Smith Hall transformation project to create space for innovative learning, teaching and research

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 11/10/2021 - 14:37

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Veronica Bergstrom and Andrew Yin sit outside Sidney Smith Hall, which will undergo a transformative redevelopment project that will create a new home for U of T's Faculty of Arts & Science (photo by Diana Tyszko)

Arts & Science news staff

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Scott Mabury

Buildings

Faculty of Arts & Science

Graduate Students

Innis College

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The University of Toronto’s Faculty of Arts & Science has announced plans to redevelop Sidney Smith Hall to create a transformative space for innovative learning, teaching and research.

The revitalization project, currently in early planning stages, will help redefine the university’s largest academic division – and one of the largest in North America – by creating a new home for it on the St. George campus.

“Our goal is to create a contemporary, accessible and state-of-the-art space for our students, staff and faculty, and the wider community,” says Melanie Woodin, dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science. “As dean, I am really pleased to launch this exciting project that will advance and grow our teaching and research mission.”

The project will provide a new facility while extensively renovating the north vertical portion of the building. It will address much-needed academic, administrative, student and ancillary space needs. They include: lounge, study and collaboration spaces; a community marketplace to gather and eat; event and meeting space; and state-of-the-art classrooms.

“As the University of Toronto heads into its third century, we envision this new footprint will be a magnet for local and international engagement, and a hub to inspire thought-provoking events and respectful, authentic dialogue on the critical issues facing our society,” adds Woodin.

The renewal project aims to create a more recognizable identity for the Faculty of Arts & Science and foster greater connections across its community, comprising more than 70 academic departments, schools, centres and institutes in 40 academic buildings and colleges across the St. George campus.

“It’s really exciting to hear about this project. Better classrooms, more food options, more event space and the addition of common areas outside are all really beneficial to students in the long run,” says PhD student Veronica Bergstrom of the department of psychology.

U of T ’s Faculty of Arts & Science has grown in breadth and depth since the building opened in 1960. While the site is one of the most well-travelled places on the St. George campus due to its central location and teaching space, the building’s age and size are constraints on the faculty’s ability to fully realize its potential as a research and leadership centre locally, nationally and internationally.

The university will also address the building’s accessibility and improve student spaces as a central part of its redevelopment while designing and building a high-performance net-zero carbon certified building.

“From a user’s point of view, it's unfortunately difficult to navigate,” says undergraduate student Andrew Yin, who is in his final year at Innis College. “I've gotten lost in the basement and lost trying to get to the food hall; some areas are not connected. There are a lot of areas where improvement is needed. I'm quite glad the university has not only recognized these issues and is trying to rebuild the site, but also considering the students point of view and trying to hold consultation sessions.”

Scott Mabury, vice-president of operations and real estate partnerships, says like all major capital development projects, the process is lengthy and will include opportunities for viewing models, renderings and engagement with design ideas as architects are selected and the plan is developed over the next several years.

“This plan will allow growth for the Faculty of Arts & Science well into the future,” says Mabury. “It will be a thoughtfully designed, sustainable and accessible building complemented with a large, and welcoming open space serving our entire community for generations to come.”

Design team selection for this project is scheduled to take place over several months, starting in spring 2022.

Revamped ARC Quad at U of T Scarborough to offer space for concerts, lectures and other events

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 20 Sep 2021 19:38:02 +0000

Revamped ARC Quad at U of T Scarborough to offer space for concerts, lectures and other events

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 09/20/2021 - 15:38

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The ARC Quad redevelopment project calls for new bench seating, outlets to recharge electronics, improved Wi-Fi, improved lighting, outlets for food trucks and shade sails to protect visitors from the weather (rendering by DTAH)

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Students, staff and faculty at the University of Toronto Scarborough will have a vibrant outdoor space to unwind and recharge this fall.

The Academic Resource Centre (ARC) Quad, located beside the main entrance of the Academic Resource Centre building, will be ready for use at the end of October after undergoing a renovation that prioritizes accessibility, green space and functionality.

“The vision for this started as a place to hang out, for light work outside of meetings and to extend opportunities into the spring and the fall to be outdoors,” says Jennifer Adams Peffer, campus architect and director of architecture, planning and project development at U of T Scarborough.

The updated ARC Quad will have new bench seating, electric outlets and shade sails to protect visitors from the sun or rain. Other additions include outlets for food trucks, improved Wifi access and lighting. The site is designed to be more than just a place for students to relax between classes – it also has the infrastructure to host concerts, lectures and other events.

The quad was redesigned using a permaculture approach, which integrates groups of plants that support abundant natural ecosystems. The project is a pilot site under the Landscape and Public Realm Master Plan, established to guide future redevelopment and sustainable landscapes on campus.

The ARC Quad's landscaping was guided by consultation with Scarborough’s Indigenous community, including Elders, about plants native to the area. Input was also gathered from faculty across disciplines such as the environmental and biological sciences, historical and cultural studies, and urban geography. DTAH, the award-winning Toronto architecture firm behind the Evergreen Brickworks and other well-known projects, designed the quad makeover.

“We’re looking to create a space for UTSC that is recognizable, that follows our strategic plan and looks to build on our learning environment,” Adams Peffer says.

“The space was informed by a host of folks who are interested in our landscape and using our campus as a laboratory for learning. This is a demonstration of bigger ideas and will be a fantastic space to enjoy.”

One challenge for designers was to seamlessly blend legacy architecture on the U of T Scarborough campus with newer buildings and renovations – all while leveraging the campus’s location near nature and facilitating students’ commute between classes.

“We know that the spaces between buildings are so critical. These are the spaces that we walk through every day and, as our campus grows, public infrastructure becomes more and more important,” Adams Peffer says.

After more than a year of virtual learning and meetings, Adams Peffer notes that the development of outdoor spaces for the campus community to safely gather informed the new ARC Quad space and will be the focus of future projects.

“What we missed being off-campus during the pandemic are community, colleagues and getting together,” Adams Peffer says. “The accumulation of so many ideas will result in a space for our community to be together again.”

U of T part of team designing Toronto’s first vertical forest

Romi Levine — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 15:47:14 +0000

U of T part of team designing Toronto’s first vertical forest

Romi Levine Mon, 07/30/2018 - 11:47

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A proposed condo building in Toronto includes 400 to 500 trees in its design (rendering by Brisbin Brook Beynon Architects)

Topic

John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture

Plans are in place to build Toronto’s first vertical forest – a 27-storey condo enveloped by hundreds of trees that its designers say will provide much-needed green space for city residents and local wildlife.

The design team, led by architect Brian Brisbin, includes Robert Wright, the University of Toronto’s dean of the Faculty of Forestry and an associate professor in the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design.

The building's design challenges include planting 400 to 500 trees on a vertical structure, which is to be located off Davenport Road, and making sure the trees receive sufficient irrigation and can withstand Toronto's harsh winters.

The health of the building’s trees will be monitored by a group at U of T and the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre.

“What we’re doing is prototyping how to do this and by monitoring it, we’re going to know where the strengths and weaknesses of the system are and, maintaining it, we’re going to do a better job of making sure these things survive,” Wright told the Toronto Star.

Read about the vertical forest in the Toronto Star

Soldiers’ Tower, The

mdipaul — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 18:33:44 +0000

Soldiers’ Tower, The mdipaul Tue, 10/03/2017 - 14:33

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https://alumni.utoronto.ca/community/soldiers-tower

U of T partners with Indian researchers to develop safer, earthquake resistant buildings

ullahnor — Mon, 27 Feb 2017 15:05:51 +0000

U of T partners with Indian researchers to develop safer, earthquake resistant buildings

ullahnor Mon, 02/27/2017 - 10:05

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Schematics of two reinforced concrete buildings designed according to current Indian standards. A research collaboration between U of T and IIT Bombay hopes to develop buildings that can withstand earthquakes (image by IIT Bombay/Farbod Pakpour)

Tyler Irving

Author legacy

Tyler Irving

Topic

Breaking Research

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Buildings

Concrete

Earthquakes

Two new collaborations between researchers at U of T's Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) hopes to improve the safety, resilience and sustainability of buildings in both countries.

The two projects are:

India-Canada Initiative for Resilient Global Urban Shelter – A partnership between U of T's Professor Constantin Christopoulos and IIT Bombay's Professor Ravi Sinha, this project focuses on low-cost seismic isolation platforms to help buildings withstand earthquakes.
Smart Sensor Deployment in Buildings: Evacuation Planning and Energy Management - Led jointly by U of T's Professor Mark Fox and IIT's Professor Krithi Ramamritham, this project leverages a network of sensors within buildings to optimize energy use and emergency evacuation plans.

Both projects recently received funding from IC-IMPACTS, a Canadian Network Centre of Excellence that brings communities together with academia, industry and government to develop solutions to key challenges in both India and Canada.

These projects reflect the goals of India’s Smart Cities Mission, a major urban renewal and retrofitting program taking place in more than one hundred cities across the subcontinent.

“Where there is mass development, there is a lot of opportunity to implement new technologies,” says Christopoulos.

The Structural Engineering Laboratory at U of T contains advanced equipment to test prototypes of building components, including a proposed low-cost seismic isolation platform for mass implementation in India (photo by Farbod Pakpour)

Resilient urban infrastructure

Christopoulos says that the earthquakes that rocked Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2010 and 2011 killed far fewer people than the catastrophic January 2010 quake off the coast of Haiti, and that's because of superior building codes and construction regulations in New Zealand, designed to save lives. Yet imposing, implementing and enforcing those regulations can be difficult in developing countries.

“To have a major impact on the entire ecosystem – manufacturers of materials, engineers, local contractors, inspectors – takes tremendous effort and a lot of time,” says Christopoulos.

While modern construction ensured that most of Christchurch’s buildings did not fall, many were still severely damaged.

“Eighty per cent of the taller buildings in their business district had to be demolished,” says Christopoulos. “They are predicting that it will take more than a decade to recover.”

Christopoulos and his team study how to protect buildings from this kind of damage by isolating the structure from the ground. The method, called seismic isolation, involves introducing a flexible layer such as ball bearings or specially designed sliders, under or within the building.

“When the earthquake occurs, the building doesn’t really feel it,” says Christopoulos.

Currently, seismic isolation is costly and tends to be implemented in only high-end buildings, such as Apple’s Cupertino headquarters, or those that house essential services such as hospitals. Now, Christopoulos aims to design a simple, low-cost isolation platform for ordinary buildings that could be adopted on a massive scale in developing countries like India. His team is collaborating with Sinha at IIT Bombay to create computer models that could test this type of intervention using data from real Indian buildings.

“The idea is not to change the entire construction ecosystem but to have only one additional, highly engineered interface that could be checked and controlled,” says Christopoulos.

For example, certain types of commercially available plastic, laid down under a concrete column, might provide the sliding capacity to absorb the earthquake energy while protecting the building sitting on top of it.

Once the best materials are identified, they will be incorporated into prototypes and tested in full-scale and in real time in the Structural Engineering Laboratory at U of T Engineering. The two teams will then work together on a mass implementation plan.

“Here in Canada, our buildings are only being replaced at an incremental rate,” says Christopoulos. “By pairing with a country like India, where there is mass development, we have a chance to create lots of buildings with significantly more resilience than our own. In the long run, we will be looking at re-importing the technology for mass implementation back to Canada.”

Energy conservation? Fire? There’s an app for that

Air conditioning is expensive, especially as most rooms are unoccupied for much of the day. Fox and Ramamritham want to create a more intelligent system to better match energy consumption to specific demand in individual rooms.

Ramamritham and his team have equipped a building on the IIT Bombay campus with an array of sensors that detect the infrared light given off by hot objects. Not only do these devices measure the average temperature of the room, they can also detect the presence of people.

Ramamritham will provide the sensor data to Fox and his team, who will use it to build a piece of software known as a semantic model.

“We need to be able to represent the building, the sensors, the pathways and the state of all of these components,” says Fox.

The model is run on a central server, and users can interact with using external devices such as smartphone apps. The model can use past behaviour to make intelligent predictions about future behaviour. For example, if someone arrives early each morning, the app would notice and cool their office ahead of their arrival. Likewise, if a room is never used on Fridays, the app could shut off the air conditioning, saving valuable energy.

This type of adaptive, predictive system would also be useful in the event of a fire or other emergency.

“Evacuation maps already exist, but they don’t tell you if an exit is blocked,” says Fox. “A smartphone app, connected to our semantic model, could provide real-time information.”

By providing users with the most up-to-date escape routes, the app could prevent damage and save lives.

Beholding beauty: U of T scientist decodes how your brain reacts to architecture

ullahnor — Fri, 13 Jan 2017 20:31:59 +0000

Beholding beauty: U of T scientist decodes how your brain reacts to architecture

ullahnor Fri, 01/13/2017 - 15:31

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Dirk Bernhardt-Walther: “Architecture can affect people's productivity, mood and even overall quality of life” (photo by Peter Balcerzak)

Peter McMahon

Author legacy

Peter McMahon

Topic

Subheadline

Study finds that humans process architecture and faces using the same part of the brain

In the first-of-its-kind study, a University of Toronto-led team has identified the ways our minds perceive architecture and discovered that an unexpected area of the brain is involved.

Researchers used functional MRI scans to characterize the neural mechanisms for encoding the style and structure of built spaces into the perceptions stored in our brains.

After exposing study participants to different images, the researchers found that areas of the brain associated with processing scenes and faces encode architectural styles in similar ways.

“That was a real surprise for us,” said Dirk Bernhardt-Walther, an assistant professor in psychology at U of T's Faculty of Arts & Science. “We assumed it was somewhere in the visual system, but no one had been able to tease it out before.”

Bernhardt-Walther's lab uses neuroimaging, psychophysics, eye tracking and computational modeling to explore how people see and hear their real-world environments.

Matthew Allen, an assistant professor at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design, is interested in the connection between the brain and architecture. He says the research gives architects something to ponder.

“It used to be the case that architects would put a lot of effort into designing the facades of buildings, which they thought would express deeper ideas about proportion or beauty or character or something else, ”Allen said. “This way of thinking about architecture fell out of fashion with modernism, which generally focused more on simple volumes than the details of ornamentation. This research should give architects a way to think through these modernist orthodoxies from a new angle.”

To conduct the study, Bernhardt-Walther and his team used fMRI technology to record the brain activity of 23 students (approximately half of which were architecture students) as they viewed blocks of images in a variety of categories:

representative buildings of four architectural styles (Byzantine, Renaissance, modern and deconstructive)
representative buildings designed by four famous architects of modern and deconstructive styles (Le Corbusier, Antoni Gaudi, Frank Gehry and Frank Lloyd-Wright)
four scene categories (mountains, pastures, highways and playgrounds)
photographs of faces of four different non-famous men

"We have previously been able to see how specific areas of our brains decode big scenes,” said Bernhardt-Walther. “But this is the first study to focus specifically on buildings.”

Using machine learning techniques, Bernhardt-Walther and his team decoded from patterns of brain activity of participants, the style and the architect of the building that they were viewing while positioned inside the fMRI scanner.

During the study, participants' brains registered activity in the parahippocampal place area (PPA) previously thought to be involved mostly with perceiving views of houses and scenes. But the team found that the PPA also encodes the visual details of different architectural styles.

In addition to the PPA, other visually active brain areas participated in the encoding of architecture. The fusiform face area (FFA), an area known to relate to face perception and visual expertise, also participated when discriminating architectural styles.

“The FFA normally doesn't care at all about images of places, including buildings,” said Bernhardt-Walther. “For instance, our experiments also contained a condition in which we decoded from brain activity whether participants looked at images of mountains versus pastures, versus highways, versus playgrounds. The FFA did not activate much for these images, and the FFA did not participate in the network of brain regions involved in this discrimination,” he says.

“However, we found that the FFA gets tightly integrated into a network of place-related brain regions for discrimination among architectural styles. This may have to do with its role in discriminating fine configural details and visual expertise.”

Another unexpected result of the study was that experts and non-experts seem to see architecture the same way – a fact that intrigues Allen.

“Architects often worry that their ideas won't get across to any non-architect who happens to look at their work,” Allen said. “This line of research ought to shed some light on what people see –and how they understand what they see – when they look at buildings.”

Bernhardt-Walther and his team believe this might mean such expertise is likely to come into play more in the interpretation and evaluation of visual perceptions of architecture.

In the future, Bernhardt-Walther and his team at U of T together with colleagues at Technion Israel Institute of Technology and at the University of Frankfurt in Germany are aiming to develop methods of measuring people's appreciation of different kinds of architecture.

“Architecture doesn't just include famous buildings that we visit while on vacation in Europe or New York City or Chicago...It determines the spaces that we live and work in every day,” said Bernhardt-Walther. “As such, architecture can affect people's productivity, mood and even overall quality of life.”

Learning Space Management

sgupta — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 20:47:19 +0000

Learning Space Management sgupta Thu, 01/07/2016 - 15:47

URL

https://lsm.utoronto.ca

New project would enhance Toronto's cultural landscape

sgupta — Tue, 09 Sep 2014 09:33:21 +0000

New project would enhance Toronto's cultural landscape sgupta Tue, 09/09/2014 - 05:33

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The new development would include a new plaza for the Museum subway station entrance and improved connections between Queen’s Park and Philosophers’ Walk. (photo by Makeda Marc-Ali)

Topic

City & Culture

Buildings

Sidney Smith Hall transformation project to create space for innovative learning, teaching and research

Revamped ARC Quad at U of T Scarborough to offer space for concerts, lectures and other events

U of T part of team designing Toronto’s first vertical forest

Read about the vertical forest in the Toronto Star

Soldiers’ Tower, The

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U of T partners with Indian researchers to develop safer, earthquake resistant buildings

Beholding beauty: U of T scientist decodes how your brain reacts to architecture

Learning Space Management

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New project would enhance Toronto's cultural landscape