Centennial College celebrates completion of Progress Avenue campus in Toronto

A building designed to meet the needs of an expanding student population in the digital age has opened at Centennial College’s flagship campus on Progress Avenue.

Designed by Diamond and Schmitt Architects and constructed by EllisDon, the 103,500-square-foot library and academic facility combines a wide range of learning and study spaces.

Included are 22 classrooms, a 200-seat auditorium, double-height library, learning labs, academic offices and a light-filled atrium that serves as a central meeting point on campus.

A four-storey biofilter living wall is the centerpiece of the atrium and acts as a natural air purifier for the building.

Diamond and Schmitt pioneered the commercial application of this technology developed by Nedlaw Living Walls as part of an ongoing commitment to sustainable design solutions.

LEED Gold is being targeted for the building, constructed at a cost of just over $34 million.

“The design of this building is welcoming, inspirational and suffused with natural light,” said Donald Schmitt, a principal with Diamond and Schmitt Architects.

The project was undertaken by a team that included structural engineers Blackwell Bowick Partnership Ltd., mechanical engineers Crossey Engineering Ltd. and electrical engineers Mulvey and Banani International Ltd. A striking combination of brick, copper and composite wood is featured on the exterior cladding.

A sequence of glazed vertical bays on the north façade extends across the roof line to harvest daylight that reaches deep into the core to expose 75 per cent of the floor plate to natural light.

Responsive to new and adaptive ways of learning, the building provides more than 250 study, research and collaborative work spaces for students with an array of technologies available, including workstations, media-viewing carrels for small groups, technology studios that match the presentation capabilities of classrooms, video conferencing and wireless network access throughout.

“Just as building technology and materials have changed, so too have our expectations of a college library,” said Centennial College president Ann Buller.

“Students today are much more apt to study in groups; they access resource materials with wireless devices; and expect to gather rare archival information within seconds, not working days. For all these reasons, Centennial’s new library plays a pivotal role in providing a supportive learning environment.”

Classrooms on the first and second floors accommodate 1,900 students in traditional and theatre-style room configurations.

The auditorium, atrium, a café and gallery are also located on the ground floor. The third floor houses the library, special collections, archives, library offices and a variety of study spaces, including labs for individual and group study.

Additional meeting rooms, silent study areas and offices for Centennial’s senior administrators comprise the top floor.

All spaces in the building overlook the four-storey atrium in the centre of the building accessed by circular corridors.

Along with the biowall, other sustainable features include a rainwater-collection system for reuse in washrooms and a green roof on the auditorium.