The Future of UTSC: North Campus Expansion

More academic space ready for fall 2011!

* Click on the images for a larger view

Master Plan in Action

The UTSC campus will change dramatically over the coming years. More academic space and student space is on the immediate horizon, and more is planned as part of a long-term expansion.

UTSC is responding to a growing student populace by expanding its facilities into the North Campus. New teaching and research facilities, gathering and event space, and more, are all part of the plans to support an exciting academic curriculum and opportunities for a vibrant student life. Our expansion plans will position UTSC even more as a robust pillar in the tri-campus system of University of Toronto, and a centre for cultural and intellectual life in the eastern GTA.

UTSC's new Master Plan sets out how the North Campus will evolve over the next 25 to 50 years. Through a process of consultation with the University and local communities and planners from the City of Toronto over the past two years, we are creating detailed designs of how the North Campus will grow as a central hub.

When the Instructional Centre, opens in March 2011, it will be the first building to establish the North Campus, and will be followed quickly by the new Aquatics and Athletics Facility, which will be constructed in partnership with the City of Toronto, to open a year in advance of the 2015 Pan American Games. (See information below.)

Key planned features of the North Campus:

• New academic and research facilities
• Relocating Military Trail northward to create a pedestrian and student-friendly inner core
• Integration with the TTC's proposed Scarborough East Light-Rail Transit (LRT) line to the campus
• A central, multi-purpose public transportation hub located at Ellesmere Road and the new Military Trail
• Developing commercial partnerships with the local community: café’s, dry cleaners, restaurants
• Hotel-conference centre located close to the Pan Am facility and Highway 401

UTSC has come a long way from the one-building campus launched in 1964. With the North Campus expansion underway, UTSC is set to lead far into the twenty-first century.

**Watch this space for upcoming informational sessions open to all.**

Instructional Centre: Opening Spring 2011

The new Instructional Centre will increase the total space for academic life on the UTSC campus by an impressive 25 per cent! With its location on the northwest corner of Ellesmere Road and Military Trail, the Instructional Centre will also create a highly visible gateway for the entire UTSC campus. Construction on this state-of-the-art building began in September 2009. Students can expect to enjoy their first classes in the Instructional Centre for the May 2011, Summer Term.

Key Features:

• New home for the Management and Computer and Mathematical Sciences (CMS) programs
• New home for the Co-op program, with ground-floor street-front access that gives the program new public profile
• At 165,000 square feet, the Instructional Centre is three times the size of the existing Management Building

• Seven lecture halls – Seating 350, 120, 80 and four 60-seaters respectively, plus six full-sized classrooms
• All-new full-feature computer lab
• Numerous undergraduate program offices
• Street-front café-style coffee shop, as well as a restaurant

A Visual Experience:

• When students walk in to the Instructional Centre, they will be greeted by a floor-to-ceiling four-level atrium which lets in an abundance of natural light.
• The atrium will also incorporate a stunning, three-level art piece that spans a feature wall.
• A competitive public art commission is currently underway to select the art displayed on this feature wall.

Stunning Architecture:

• The building itself is divided into two 'wings', one for students and the other for faculty offices, which are connected via glass enclosed catwalks, one of the building's many unique architectural features.
• Photo-voltaic solar panels will cover all of the office wing as well as most of the main building.
• Designed by Diamond and Schmitt Architects Inc., the Instructional Centre is being developed according to LEED Silver Standards. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards are voluntary sustainable standards for green building design, construction, and operations.

2015 Pan American Games Aquatics Facility: Opening 2014

The Instructional Centre is just the first part of UTSC's new North Campus expansion. Advanced preparations are ongoing on the Aquatics and Athletics Facility, being built for the 2015 Pan American Games which were recently awarded to the City of Toronto. Read more

Extending UTSC’s Reach: Prominent Northern Location

Located at the northeast corner of Morningside Avenue and Military Trail immediately south of the 401, the Pan Am Aquatics and Athletics Facility will surpass the square footage of every other building at UTSC, comprising over 360,000 square feet when it opens in 2015.

Key Features: Aquatics Centre

• Two Olympic-sized, 52-metre pools
• 10-metre diving tank
• Spectator seating

Key Features: Field House

• Three Gymnasiums
• Multipurpose program area
• Fitness and training facilities supporting both recreation and high-performance training
• Running track
• Rock-climbing wall
• Variety of food services

Built for the University and the Community

Planned and owned jointly with the City of Toronto, the Aquatics and Athletics Facility will serve the University and the local community long after the 2015 Pan American Games are over.

An Exciting Future for Students:

With the Instructional Centre opening in early 2011 and the Pan Am facility not long after, the University's Master Plan vision for the future is quickly becoming an exciting reality. Working with the local community, UTSC is creating a unique and engaging university experience that will benefit generations of students to come.

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