Rendering courtesy of CannonDesign
Construction recently began on York University?s new Student Centre in Toronto, designed by CannonDesign. Unique to the university, the 126,000 sq.ft building will be the second student centre on the campus ? designed to complement the services offered in the original centre while responding to the changing needs of the campus? large and diverse community.
The project is the result of a 2013 referendum in which the student body voted in favour of a second building devoted solely to student space. The referendum secured the highest voter turnout in the history of Canadian post-secondary institutions, with approximately 90 per cent of students voting in favour.
Rendering courtesy of CannonDesign
Moreover, a recent national survey of college students in Canada showed that more than 66 per cent of 43,000 students surveyed reported feeling “very lonely” in the past year. The study also found nearly half of the students surveyed felt debilitatingly depressed in the past year. Although there are a number of factors that affect student loneliness, one key way to address the problem is by creating opportunities for students to engage with the university and the greater student body. And beyond just building a space for these students to go, it needs to be designed in direct response to their needs so every student from every walk of life feels welcomed. Before any design options were created, an extensive student engagement exercise w...