Image courtesy Diamond Schmitt Architects
Diamond Schmitt Architects has designed a new and innovative campus for York University that will rise in Markham, Ont., adjacent to Toronto.
The Markham Centre Campus (MCC) is the first public university in York Region. It features a vertical campus building that is fully integrated with the area’s diverse, growing network of commerce, athletics, arts, and entrepreneurial communities.
“The design of this highly accessible building defines a collegial academic community within a series of interconnected, multi-storey spaces of gathering and interaction,” said Donald Schmitt, principal, Diamond Schmitt.
The building form consists of a five-storey podium with a five-storey tower above. Bronze-anodized aluminum cladding and fritted bird-friendly glazing are interspersed within a syncopated fenestration pattern. Cantilevers and curves animate the building form and create fluid, interactive spaces supporting teaching and research within a vertical campus.
The 37,160-m2 (400,000-sf) facility opens onto sloping green areas called Campus Green at several levels, strengthening its connection to the landscape as well as to future development phases. The Campus Green areas create an outdoor focal point for social gathering, Indigenous learning, and respite. Low-incline curved pathways connect with a nearby civic athletic centre, transit hub, cinemas, and commercial district.
The initial phase of this compact, connected, vertically integrated campus will accommodate up to 4200 students with the flexibility for future growth demands. Bright and naturally lit circulation binds the stacked campus together with large and small common areas to support student interaction throughout the building.
With a design focused on student life and connection with the community, this sustainable, state-of-the-art campus provides a landmark destination that will serve as a catalyst for this rapidly growing region and be an inspiration for the next generation of post-secondary learning, Diamond Schmitt Architects said.
Opening of the new campus is slated for the 2023 academic year.
