androiduk
Senior Member
Ryerson finally has an application in to demolish the House of Posters store.
- Thread starter Bogtrotter
- Start date
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
It's been reported in the Ryersonian that the job went to Snøhetta (!!!)/Zeidler Partnership.
AoD
AoD
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
dt_toronto_geek
Superstar
I noticed it was empty, and closed last week but no sign of demolition equipment on site yet to continue the Sam's tear-down.
Archivist
Senior Member
Here's a question not totally related to the Ryerson centre - I notice that whenever international architectural firms have projects in the city, they always partner with a local firm. Is there a law that requires this, or is local knowledge and contacts such an important part of the business that it would be essentially unthinkable for, say, Snøhetta to go it alone on a project here?
And if it is the law, is this common in other countries? For instance, does Diamond need to partner with a local Russkie firm to build the Opera House in St. Petersburg?
And if it is the law, is this common in other countries? For instance, does Diamond need to partner with a local Russkie firm to build the Opera House in St. Petersburg?
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
I think (not 100% sure) the law requires a firm that is registered to practice in Ontario. One interesting case is Gehry International when they did the AGO since they hae no local partners.
Not sure about other countries in general, but I am fairly sure that's a requirement for foreign firms in China.
AoD
Not sure about other countries in general, but I am fairly sure that's a requirement for foreign firms in China.
AoD
maestro
Senior Member
Seems to make practical sense to have a local consultant familar with the building codes, re-zoning and permit process.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
Official Announcement:
New Student Learning Centre to be designed by internationally acclaimed architects
February 10, 2010
Ryerson will build a 21st-century library on this site in the heart of downtown Toronto. The Student Learning Centre will be approximately 160,000 square feet and will be linked to the existing Library building, visible in the background.
President Sheldon Levy today announced the selection of Zeidler Partnership Architects of Toronto in association with Snøhetta of Oslo, Norway and New York City as the co-architects for Ryerson's new Student Learning Centre (SLC).
"We are very pleased that these two internationally acclaimed firms have formed a partnership to design Ryerson's new Student Learning Centre," said Levy. "In addition to a portfolio of award-winning work, they bring unrivalled knowledge of architectural design, libraries and place-making to a building that will boldly mark Ryerson's emergence onto Yonge Street."
The Student Learning Centre will provide Ryerson students with an outstanding environment to study and collaborate, to spark interaction and discovery. It will be a true 21st century library: welcoming, accessible, comfortable, digitally connected and ready to adapt to new technologies, developments and services.
Added Levy: "I am confident that the Student Learning Centre will be a transformative building for the university and the city. The architects are incredibly creative and look beyond the predictable. They understand the importance of context, and the changing nature of learning. With exciting destination retail at ground level and the energy of thousands of Ryerson students using the rest of the space, the corner of Yonge and Gould Streets will become a dynamic environment that represents city-building at its best."
The state-of-the-art Student Learning Centre will provide the latest technology and will be designed to accommodate different learning styles and teaching practices. The SLC will feature bright, open, technologically rich, barrier-free spaces for individual and collaborative study. A variety of learning environments, digital support and academic services will promote student learning success and help foster a culture of collaboration and creativity. The Ryerson community, including students, has been and will continue to be involved in defining how best to use the space.
Zeidler, established in Toronto in 1953, has won over 135 national and international awards in recognition of their work, most recently for the Canadian Diplomatic Complex in Seoul, South Korea and the Belleville Public Library.
"This is an opportunity to take a major step towards the vision of Ryerson's Master Plan. We look forward to creating a meaningful project that will invigorate its context and reinforce the image of Ryerson University as a diverse and connected urban institution," said Tarek El-Khatib, senior partner, Zeidler.
Snøhetta was formed in 1989 in Oslo, Norway. Their work on the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria, Egypt was so successful that, eight years after opening, the library began charging admission to deal with its high volume of tourists. The library draws nearly 10,000 visitors a day and was awarded the 2004 Aga Khan Award for Architecture and the 2005 World Architecture Award. Most recently Snøhetta has won commissions for the new James B. Hunt Jr. Library in Raleigh, North Carolina; the new Rockaway Library in New York City; the Ras Al-Khaimah Gateway project in the UAE; and the National September 11 Memorial Museum Pavilion at Ground Zero in New York City. Recently Snøhetta opened the new National Opera House in Oslo, Norway that has since won the World Architecture Award and the Mies van der Rohe European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture in 2009.
"Learning environments are changing radically and becoming ever more integrated in people's lives. This particular site at Yonge Street provides the opportunity to make not only a world-class library, but one that can set an example for a new kind of library that connects academic, commercial and public space into a thriving place for social and intellectual activity. We are delighted at Snøhetta to work together with Zeidler Partnership Architects and Ryerson University to make this happen," said Craig Dykers, principal architect and co-founder, Snøhetta.
The SLC will be approximately 160,000 square feet and is estimated at 10 floors above grade level. It will be linked to Ryerson's existing Library building, and discussions are underway with the TTC to link the SLC to Dundas Station through an on-site subway entrance. The building is also expected to be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) compliant, reflecting Ryerson's long-time leadership in sustainability.
The SLC was made possible by $45 million in funding from the Government of Ontario and is expected to be completed in 2013. The SLC will help Ryerson address the projected growing demand for post-secondary education in the GTA. Ryerson is continuing to experience high levels of demand at both undergraduate and graduate levels.
More background information, including images of previous work by the architects, is available at the Ryerson Media Room.
http://www.ryerson.ca/news/news/General_Public/20100210_architects.html
AoD
New Student Learning Centre to be designed by internationally acclaimed architects
February 10, 2010
Ryerson will build a 21st-century library on this site in the heart of downtown Toronto. The Student Learning Centre will be approximately 160,000 square feet and will be linked to the existing Library building, visible in the background.
President Sheldon Levy today announced the selection of Zeidler Partnership Architects of Toronto in association with Snøhetta of Oslo, Norway and New York City as the co-architects for Ryerson's new Student Learning Centre (SLC).
"We are very pleased that these two internationally acclaimed firms have formed a partnership to design Ryerson's new Student Learning Centre," said Levy. "In addition to a portfolio of award-winning work, they bring unrivalled knowledge of architectural design, libraries and place-making to a building that will boldly mark Ryerson's emergence onto Yonge Street."
The Student Learning Centre will provide Ryerson students with an outstanding environment to study and collaborate, to spark interaction and discovery. It will be a true 21st century library: welcoming, accessible, comfortable, digitally connected and ready to adapt to new technologies, developments and services.
Added Levy: "I am confident that the Student Learning Centre will be a transformative building for the university and the city. The architects are incredibly creative and look beyond the predictable. They understand the importance of context, and the changing nature of learning. With exciting destination retail at ground level and the energy of thousands of Ryerson students using the rest of the space, the corner of Yonge and Gould Streets will become a dynamic environment that represents city-building at its best."
The state-of-the-art Student Learning Centre will provide the latest technology and will be designed to accommodate different learning styles and teaching practices. The SLC will feature bright, open, technologically rich, barrier-free spaces for individual and collaborative study. A variety of learning environments, digital support and academic services will promote student learning success and help foster a culture of collaboration and creativity. The Ryerson community, including students, has been and will continue to be involved in defining how best to use the space.
Zeidler, established in Toronto in 1953, has won over 135 national and international awards in recognition of their work, most recently for the Canadian Diplomatic Complex in Seoul, South Korea and the Belleville Public Library.
"This is an opportunity to take a major step towards the vision of Ryerson's Master Plan. We look forward to creating a meaningful project that will invigorate its context and reinforce the image of Ryerson University as a diverse and connected urban institution," said Tarek El-Khatib, senior partner, Zeidler.
Snøhetta was formed in 1989 in Oslo, Norway. Their work on the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria, Egypt was so successful that, eight years after opening, the library began charging admission to deal with its high volume of tourists. The library draws nearly 10,000 visitors a day and was awarded the 2004 Aga Khan Award for Architecture and the 2005 World Architecture Award. Most recently Snøhetta has won commissions for the new James B. Hunt Jr. Library in Raleigh, North Carolina; the new Rockaway Library in New York City; the Ras Al-Khaimah Gateway project in the UAE; and the National September 11 Memorial Museum Pavilion at Ground Zero in New York City. Recently Snøhetta opened the new National Opera House in Oslo, Norway that has since won the World Architecture Award and the Mies van der Rohe European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture in 2009.
"Learning environments are changing radically and becoming ever more integrated in people's lives. This particular site at Yonge Street provides the opportunity to make not only a world-class library, but one that can set an example for a new kind of library that connects academic, commercial and public space into a thriving place for social and intellectual activity. We are delighted at Snøhetta to work together with Zeidler Partnership Architects and Ryerson University to make this happen," said Craig Dykers, principal architect and co-founder, Snøhetta.
The SLC will be approximately 160,000 square feet and is estimated at 10 floors above grade level. It will be linked to Ryerson's existing Library building, and discussions are underway with the TTC to link the SLC to Dundas Station through an on-site subway entrance. The building is also expected to be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) compliant, reflecting Ryerson's long-time leadership in sustainability.
The SLC was made possible by $45 million in funding from the Government of Ontario and is expected to be completed in 2013. The SLC will help Ryerson address the projected growing demand for post-secondary education in the GTA. Ryerson is continuing to experience high levels of demand at both undergraduate and graduate levels.
More background information, including images of previous work by the architects, is available at the Ryerson Media Room.
http://www.ryerson.ca/news/news/General_Public/20100210_architects.html
AoD
Mike in TO
Senior Member
The short answer is 'yes'.
Regarding the project itself the secondary TTC entrance is fantastic news.
Last edited:
adma
Superstar
Sam Snøhettaman?
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
From the Globe:
Development
Making a mark on the Yonge Street strip
ELIZABETH CHURCH
From Thursday's Globe and Mail
Published on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010 12:00AM EST
Last updated on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010 4:04AM EST
\EDUCATION REPORTER
Ryerson University is looking to take its place on the Yonge Street strip, tapping a team of local and international architects to present a new face to the city.
Toronto-based Zeidler Partnership Architects and Snohetta of Oslo, Norway, will design the school's new student learning centre on the former Sam the Record Man site. The duo's combined portfolio includes libraries in small town Ontario and in world centres. Snohetta, named after a mountain in Norway said to be the site of the legendary Valhalla, is best known for its design of the massive Alexandria library in Egypt, which draws nearly 10,000 daily visitors.
The Yonge Street building will be of a smaller scale - an estimated 10 storeys tucked between storefronts, busy thoroughfares and the existing library, but the vision is grand.
"The student learning centre will be a transformative building for the university and the city," said Ryerson President Sheldon Levy.
Mr. Levy has worked hard to promote the downtown campus as an important city builder and the Yonge Street project is the latest piece in that effort. Yesterday's announcement follows a deal to transform another Toronto landmark - Maple Leaf Gardens. The university and Loblaw Co. are redeveloping the rink, which will house the school's new athletic centre as well as an outlet for the grocery chain, which owns the site.
The new student learning centre is central to Mr. Levy's efforts to revitalize the infamous Yonge Street strip and connect the centre of the campus to the downtown.
Craig Dykers, principal architect and co-founder of Snohetta, echoed that vision in his description of the site. "This will be Ryerson's window to the world and the world's window into Ryerson," he said in a presentation yesterday.
The new student centre is more urban than his firm's other library projects, or even the Memorial Museum Pavilion at the site of the World Trade Center - another of its commissions. But Mr. Dykers hopes to incorporate the energy and life of the street in the project. The new building, which will include retail on the ground floor, also will influence the street, he predicted, in the same way Oslo's new opera house has changed its waterfront surroundings.
"It is not just because of the building, it is the people using the building," he said.
Senior partner Tarek El-Khatib, whose daughter is a third-year student at Ryerson, said the learning centre will link the city with the campus through its street-level stores and a possible subway entrance and will be a gateway to the school from the west.
The team won the commission because of their understanding of the site and their past projects. They presented no sketches to the selection committee of design ideas for the new building.
The design of the building, set to open in three years, will be developed through consultations with students and the university, Mr. El-Khatib said.
The university will keep the iconic Sam the Record Man sign, but is undecided about where to put it.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...ark-on-the-yonge-street-strip/article1464028/
AoD
Development
Making a mark on the Yonge Street strip
ELIZABETH CHURCH
From Thursday's Globe and Mail
Published on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010 12:00AM EST
Last updated on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010 4:04AM EST
\EDUCATION REPORTER
Ryerson University is looking to take its place on the Yonge Street strip, tapping a team of local and international architects to present a new face to the city.
Toronto-based Zeidler Partnership Architects and Snohetta of Oslo, Norway, will design the school's new student learning centre on the former Sam the Record Man site. The duo's combined portfolio includes libraries in small town Ontario and in world centres. Snohetta, named after a mountain in Norway said to be the site of the legendary Valhalla, is best known for its design of the massive Alexandria library in Egypt, which draws nearly 10,000 daily visitors.
The Yonge Street building will be of a smaller scale - an estimated 10 storeys tucked between storefronts, busy thoroughfares and the existing library, but the vision is grand.
"The student learning centre will be a transformative building for the university and the city," said Ryerson President Sheldon Levy.
Mr. Levy has worked hard to promote the downtown campus as an important city builder and the Yonge Street project is the latest piece in that effort. Yesterday's announcement follows a deal to transform another Toronto landmark - Maple Leaf Gardens. The university and Loblaw Co. are redeveloping the rink, which will house the school's new athletic centre as well as an outlet for the grocery chain, which owns the site.
The new student learning centre is central to Mr. Levy's efforts to revitalize the infamous Yonge Street strip and connect the centre of the campus to the downtown.
Craig Dykers, principal architect and co-founder of Snohetta, echoed that vision in his description of the site. "This will be Ryerson's window to the world and the world's window into Ryerson," he said in a presentation yesterday.
The new student centre is more urban than his firm's other library projects, or even the Memorial Museum Pavilion at the site of the World Trade Center - another of its commissions. But Mr. Dykers hopes to incorporate the energy and life of the street in the project. The new building, which will include retail on the ground floor, also will influence the street, he predicted, in the same way Oslo's new opera house has changed its waterfront surroundings.
"It is not just because of the building, it is the people using the building," he said.
Senior partner Tarek El-Khatib, whose daughter is a third-year student at Ryerson, said the learning centre will link the city with the campus through its street-level stores and a possible subway entrance and will be a gateway to the school from the west.
The team won the commission because of their understanding of the site and their past projects. They presented no sketches to the selection committee of design ideas for the new building.
The design of the building, set to open in three years, will be developed through consultations with students and the university, Mr. El-Khatib said.
The university will keep the iconic Sam the Record Man sign, but is undecided about where to put it.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...ark-on-the-yonge-street-strip/article1464028/
AoD
Very exciting! Congratulations to Sheldon Levy and Ryerson for making such an interesting choice, and to Zeidler for bringing such an astute partner to the table. Plus it's just plain fun to have another firm with it's fingers on the world's architectural pulse to be designing for a high-profile site in our city. I look forward to the plans!
42
42
yyzer
Senior Member
Well said 42, very exciting indeed!
p5connex
Active Member
This is a surprise for sure - I was not expecting this, especially considering a lot of the talk I had heard in the architecture circles that this was going to be another KPMB building. All the same, I am looking forward to seeing what Snohetta proposes for this site- many, if not most of their buildings are in much more picturesque/scenic/interesting contextual situations. I am sure that they are capable of making interesting architecture happen at this site..
pfive
Snohetta/
pfive
Snohetta/