ZAS Architects, in collaboration with CEBRA Architecture, has unveiled the design for a new student-centred learning and support hub at the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus (UTSC).
According to the developers, the new facility – Instructional Centre Phase 2 (IC-2) – is a dynamic learning landscape that promotes agile and asynchronous education through a complex arrangement of rooms and open public spaces.
Inspired by the form of a 19th-century Printer?s Tray, the building’s façade emulates architectural variance, reflecting the diversity of the student community that resides within.
“We envisioned a truly flexible environment that broke down traditional pedagogies and instead, encouraged a fluid learning experience unconfined by the walls of the classroom,” says Paul Stevens, Founder, and Senior Principal at ZAS Architects. “Peer-to-peer learning is emulated in all aspects of the design.” Artificially-created terrain spills from the outside in, creating a hybrid of social and study areas that stimulate and support vibrant campus life. Students have access to a multitude of flexible, technology-enabled spaces, including 21 classrooms ranging from a 500-seat auditorium to smaller 24-seat active learning environments.

The learning spaces sit on top of one another, creating opportunities for platform and bleacher seating space known as the Knoll, which scales the roof of the 210-seat...