WINNER OF A 2020 CANADIAN ARCHITECT AWARD OF MERIT
?This is a very well-rounded project that?s sensitive to its site, including the old barns that were there before. I like the environmental approach, which goes back to the basics: it uses natural ventilation, and is very sensible with natural light and energy consumption.? ? Stephan Chevalier, juror
The complex takes the place of three aging barns, and is designed to respond to local climatic, biological and topographic conditions.
Located north of the city, the University of Toronto?s Koffler Scientific Reserve is a major venue for research and instruction in ecology and environmental biology. Supported by the complex ecosystem of the Oak Ridges Moraine, it offers students an opportunity to move beyond the classroom to the actual practice of science. The 800-acre property was bequeathed to the university after having been a country estate for much of the 20th century, and includes meadows, woodlands, watercourses and lakes. The site also contains remarkable geological formations, including some of the most noteworthy examples of drumlins and eskers in southern Ontario.
A refectory opens on to a courtyard, with clerestories and operable windows allowing for daylight and natural ventilation, while reinforcing visual connections between indoors and outdoors.
The new building accommodates research students and faculty for extended periods of time. Modelled after a university quad, it comprises sleeping and bathing quarters, a...