Photo: Scott Norsworthy
Set within Colonel Samuel Smith Park, a historic agricultural parkland on the shores of Lake Ontario, the new Humber College Student Welcome & Resource Centre by Moriyama & Teshima Architects provides a stunning new public face as a high-visibility landmark gateway, providing an accessible focal gathering place for students and the public.
Ensuring the Centre’s role as the new campus gateway meant establishing a strong presence on Lakeshore Boulevard. In order to work around the zoning requirements ? which recess the building?s footprint from the street ? an exterior forecourt is extended outward from the primary building volume into the park, drawing visitors into the building. The forecourt is framed by an elegant trellis structure forming a permeable enclosure. Intertwined with rows of fruit trees addressing the site?s pastoral history, the trellis buffers traffic and choreographs a compelling pedestrian entrance sequence that mediates between the public and the school. Photo: Scott Norsworthy
The deployment of a shimmering screen of glass and aluminum lends a rich and distinctive architectural complexity to the four-story structure, which compactly houses 4,050 m2 of space for student services, cultural facilities and wellness programs fostering innovative scholarship, learning and a strong campus community. Inside, a robust, low-maintenance material palette of concrete, glass and steel is warmed by honey-toned hardwood and punches...