The Toronto-based architectural firm Superkul has been selected to design the Student Commons, a much-anticipated facility that will be located at 230 College Street.
Superkul has a history of working with the university. Past projects at U of T include the Enrolment Services building for U of T’s Faculty of Medicine, the Chestnut Residence and Conference Centre renewal, the Undergraduate Medical Education Suite, the Department of Family and Community Medicine, and the Linguistics Department within Sidney Smith Hall.
Discussion surrounding a space for students on St. George campus began in the 1960s. In 2007, members of the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) voted in favour of a student levy that would go toward building a student centre; the project became known as the Student Commons. In 2015, the Governing Council finally approved the Operating Agreement drafted by the UTSU, allowing the project to go forward.
The Student Commons will include student workspaces, a multi-faith space, a storage space, a lounge space, and multi-purpose areas. It will also feature accessibility services and will house the student-run bike shop, Bikechain.
The site on which the Student Commons will be built is currently home of the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design. The faculty will relocate to One Spadina Crescent upon construction of the commons.
The Student Commons is slated to open in 2017 and construction is expected to commence in the fall.
With files from U of T News
