Toronto Urban Design Awards, Award of Excellence, Public Buildings in Context (2021)
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Building with a clear purpose in mind.
Seneca College Centre for Innovation, Technology, & Entrepreneurship (CITE) encompasses collaboration at its core, from the project’s design process through to the purpose and intention behind the space.
From the very beginning of the design phase, stakeholders like the college’s executive leadership and The Aboriginal College Councils partner with designers and construction team members to build a vision that reflected an intentional space informed by its local community and their surrounding needs. Elements like the building’s 13 large columns were incorporated into the design to tell Indigenous stories (in this case, lunar cycles) within the framework. True to Indigenous values, the design of this building prioritizes sustainability and energy efficiency, with energy modelling conducted at each phase of the project and features like daylight harvesting and photovoltaic glass that contribute to the project’s targets.
The result of this extensive collaboration is an award-winning, LEED Gold certified project with a design that complements the architectural focus of Indigenous features. Smith + Andersen provided mechanical, electrical, lighting, communication, security, audio-visual, and sustainability (Footprint) services throughout the site (or should we say CITE). The centre includes classrooms, offices, machine shops, dry labs, and a robotics lab, and our designers accommodated varying requirements for each section of the building. The space also features a five-storey atrium space with custom, colour-changing LEDs which include an art-piece that mimics the northern lights as per the architect’s vision.
The project was completed in 2019 and stayed on track throughout the design process to meet the client’s goal of opening the building in time for the academic year.
Building with a clear purpose in mind.
Seneca College Centre for Innovation, Technology, & Entrepreneurship (CITE) encompasses collaboration at its core, from the project’s design process through to the purpose and intention behind the space.
From the very beginning of the design phase, stakeholders like the college’s executive leadership and The Aboriginal College Councils partner with designers and construction team members to build a vision that reflected an intentional space informed by its local community and their surrounding needs. Elements like the building’s 13 large columns were incorporated into the design to tell Indigenous stories (in this case, lunar cycles) within the framework. True to Indigenous values, the design of this building prioritizes sustainability and energy efficiency, with energy modelling conducted at each phase of the project and features like daylight harvesting and photovoltaic glass that contribute to the project’s targets.
The result of this extensive collaboration is an award-winning, LEED Gold certified project with a design that complements the architectural focus of Indigenous features. Smith + Andersen provided mechanical, electrical, lighting, communication, security, audio-visual, and sustainability (Footprint) services throughout the site (or should we say CITE). The centre includes classrooms, offices, machine shops, dry labs, and a robotics lab, and our designers accommodated varying requirements for each section of the building. The space also features a five-storey atrium space with custom, colour-changing LEDs which include an art-piece that mimics the northern lights as per the architect’s vision.
The project was completed in 2019 and stayed on track throughout the design process to meet the client’s goal of opening the building in time for the academic year.