The impacts of the pandemic and lockdown led to a great degree of social isolation among students and academic staff. As we gradually shift back to in-person experiences, creating a positive school environment that fosters social interaction has never been more important.
The design of one new student centre aims to completely transform the traditional student experience on a suburban campus, which is typically designed to be solely commuter and academics-focused.
Located in downtown Mississauga, the recently completed Sheridan College Hazel McCallion Campus Phase 2A (HMC2A) is a vibrant (70,000 square foot) addition to the Phase 2 academic building, designed to add a range of social aspects to the commuter campus and serve around 6,100 students.
Designed by Montgomery Sisam Architects in joint venture with Moriyama & Teshima Architects, the architectural teams were challenged to help create a student hub that would enrich campus life in a suburban commuter context.
To ensure that a new hub meets students’ needs and expectations and contributes to an added sense of community on campus, the architectural teams put students at the core of the design process and purposely engaged Sheridan’s Student Union, enabling them to provide inspiration for the final design and help shape the ideal athletic and student centre.
The campus facility houses a series of unique spaces for athletics, food services, and recreation spaces, and features out-of-the-box thinking. A glass-clad exterior provides for more diffused natural light and offers students engaging views to the rest of their campus and the surrounding city core, while encouraging them to spend more time on campus. The glass exterior was also designed to prevent solar glare, while bringing more natural lighting into the building for optimal health and wellness purposes.
In designing the social and wellness centre, maximizing connections was key. Connections between large open spaces were created, with multipurpose spaces and smaller, more defined program spaces. Both indoor and outdoor amenities were established with new building features and existing campus features incorporated to create an accessible and animated facility that inspires collaboration and supports a strong and prosperous academic community.
The HMC2A facility joins directly with Phase 2, sharing a portico at grade and two upper level connections. A series of modern lounge and study spaces, fun and functional games areas, and top-of-the-line fitness facilities, club rooms, and cafes feed into and off a transparent double height atrium, designed for optimal flexibility. It also offers modest, inviting pockets suited to multiple smaller functions occurring simultaneously and on an everyday basis with the capacity to accommodate large student gatherings and events as required.
The second level looks down into the atrium, maintaining an important visual connection with the more animated first floor, while offering quieter work spaces, study areas, lounge spaces, student committee offices, and a multi-faith centre.
Specialty sport facilities, athletic studios, lockers and change rooms are located on the third level together with a double height gym space and a brightly coloured, multi-level floating running track, which encircles the building.
The upper level houses office space, a vestibule and a purpose-built senate room for the college. A coherent and high graphic standard permeates the building with bespoke materials, finishes and features befitting Sheridan’s mandate and brand as an institution.
Like the Phase 2 facility, HMC2A responds to the needs and goals of the larger campus and civic centre by animating the public realm with quality outdoor spaces for resting, gathering and playing. Open and covered walkways, a patio and outdoor turf field complement the graphic, angular design of the quad and offer an occasion for social activities inside the building to spill out into the campus.
Photos courtesy of Montgomery Sisam Architects.
