In the last few years, Ryerson University has made a number of architecturally significant additions to their campus in Toronto’s Downtown Core. The Snøhetta-designed Student Learning Centre creates an iconic gateway to the campus on Yonge Street, while the under-construction Daphne Cockwell Health Sciences Complex is bringing a Perkins + Will-designed tower to Church Street. Now, the University has submitted a rezoning application for what could be the largest project in their expansion, and what their website deems to potentially be their last significant opportunity to add institutional space in an area of downtown with very little re-developable land.

Aerial concept rendering for Ryerson's 202 Jarvis, image courtesy of City of Toronto

Designed by Copenhagen-based Henning Larsen Architects with Zeidler Partnership Architects of Toronto, 202 Jarvis is proposed as a 41-storey tower with institutional, retail, and student residence uses. The building is proposed on a Ryerson-owned parking lot where it will complete the transformation of the Jarvis and Dundas intersection, a process that started with the construction of Pace Condos in the early-half of the decade, a has been joined by Grid Condos and Dundas Square Gardens more recently.

The building will consist of an 11-storey academic base with 31,468 square metres of classroom, laboratory, and research space intended for the Faculty of Science. The tower floors above will house a Ryerson-owned and operated student residence with capacity for 551 students to live on campus. 3 floors of bike storage, two of which will be underground, will be able to house over 1,000 bikes and meet the demand for bike storage infrastructure on campus. 576 m² of retail is proposed to serve pedestrian traffic at the corner of Jarvis and Dundas.

Rendering of 'University Square' along Mutual Street, image courtesy of City of Toronto

The development advances placemaking efforts along Mutual Street through two interconnected plaza spaces; University Square and the Pocket Garden. The building’s main entrance, located on Mutual Street, will drive a lot of foot traffic to the area, increasing pedestrian activity on an otherwise quiet side street. The Pocket Garden, which will connect the Mutual Street Entrance and plaza to Dundas Street, will run adjacent to a student gallery, likely to showcase the work of the Faculty of Science students that will occupy the building. Students will also be able to enjoy two rooftop patios on the fifth floor of the building. The emphasis on public space is not surprising, as Ryerson has placed a heavy importance on the public realm in their Campus Master Plan.

Rendering of the 'Pocket Garden' and student gallery POPS, image courtesy of City of Toronto

The re-zoning application is just the first step in the process that Ryerson will be undertaking in the construction of 202 Jarvis, which will become more detailed in its architectural expression once the amendments are issued and funding becomes available. The massing proposed features a number of step-backs above the 4th, 7th and 11th storeys, the lowest of these in an attempt to not overwhelm the low-rise retail buildings at the corner of Dundas and Mutual Streets. In the design's current form, a grid-like pattern of charcoal brick and gold metal panels frame the windows of the facade. Materials have yet to be named, but concept renderings can give us an idea of where the design will be heading in the upcoming submissions.

Additional information and images can be found in our database file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment in the field provided at the bottom of this page.

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