Accolades continue for UC Revitalization
By Elaine Smith
The University College (UC) Revitalization pleases not only the students, staff, and faculty who have begun to use the building as pandemic restrictions ease; it continues to delight experts in a variety of fields, as the two most recent awards attest. The landmark building has been recognized by Canadian Interiors in its annual Best of Canada Design Competition for 2021 and by the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario (ACO) as the 2021 winner of the Peter Stokes Restoration Award in the large scale/team/corporate category.
The pair of awards nicely complements the 2021 Ontario Library Association Architectural and Design Transformation Award given to the revitalized University College Library earlier this year. They shine the spotlight on the excellence that resulted from the partnership between Kohn/Shnier and ERA Architects.
“It is especially gratifying to receive such recognition, given the dedication and hard work by all members of the UC community in making the Revitalization a reality,” says Markus Stock, UC principal. “The fundraising efforts by the students and alumni, the support from the University of Toronto, the outstanding design by our architectural partners, and the labour required to bring that design to life have resulted in an exceptional outcome.”
Canadian Interiors’ Best of Canada Design Competition is the country’s only design competition to focus on interior design projects and products without regard to size, budget or location. Its award for the UC Revitalization focused on the UC Library and was one of five winners in the Institutional category, among 21 projects and two products lauded by the judges for their excellent design.
“This was a project with many design mandates, but most significantly, the library’s relocation and modernization had to accommodate, preserve, restore, and complement the legacy of University College, one of the University of Toronto’s most significant heritage buildings,” wrote Canadian Interiors in publicizing the award. “To create universal accessibility in a building historically challenging to navigate, a judicious use of ramps was added at minor level changes, and a new elevator was installed. Supporting the main space of the library are a new reading room, a conferencing center, rejuvenated classrooms, student writing center, and a new café.”
The magazine also lauds the architects for integrating new IT, lighting, A/V and mechanical systems in a way that “touches the existing fabric [of the building] lightly.”
In choosing UC from among the competitors for its Peter Stokes Revitalization Award (large scale/team/corporate), the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario called it an “exemplary restoration responding to the demands of 21st-century academia.” The judges noted that the Revitalization “improved barrier-free access in the historic portion of the building, integrating the new features sensitively. …” They also commended the decision to restore the library to its original location in the building and said, “The layout of the stack and mezzanine level is a direct reference to the original library form.”
Naeem Ordonez, Dean of Students is appreciative of the attention being paid to the building’s accessibility features, which required careful thought and design.
“UC has long been committed to being open to all those who are academically qualified, regardless of their religion, life experiences, financial circumstances or social status,” says Naeem. “Now, we can add physical accessibility to that list, something for which our entire community can be justifiably proud.”
While the excellence of the building’s revitalized spaces speaks for itself, obtaining outside recognition for the project is an additional reward for the entire community.