On May 25 and 26, York University will be participating in Doors Open Toronto by opening the doors to the Rob and Cheryl McEwen Graduate Study & Research Building as well as the Bergeron Centre for Engineering Excellence. Both buildings will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Visitors are welcome to drop by and explore the many innovative features of each building.
The Bergeron Centre for Engineering Excellence is a $115-million building designed to enhance creativity and ingenuity. The building opened in 2016. With no lecture halls, the Bergeron Centre is outfitted with bright, open spaces for collaboration, prototyping and active learning. Modelled after a cloud, the building’s façade is covered in geometric windows and panels that were designed using the Penrose mathematical pattern in which no angle is the same throughout the building’s entire façade. The hallways, elevators and common spaces are whiteboards that are open to anyone who feels creative.
The newly opened Rob and Cheryl McEwen Graduate Study & Research Building at the Schulich School of Business was designed by award-winning international architectural firm Baird Sampson Neuert. The 67,000-square-foot structure stands as one of the most environmentally sustainable and socially responsible academic buildings in North America. It is one of the first to use the principles of thermally active building systems to achieve LEED Gold certification. Standing near the main entrance of York University’s Keele Campus, the new building features a 27-metre-high solar chimney to maximize natural ventilation and make use of renewable energy; green roofs featuring a range of vegetation; a media production centre; innovative classrooms and seminar rooms; a picturesque central courtyard; a spacious graduate student lounge; a curated art collection; a wellness centre and rainwater recapture systems. As part of Doors Open Toronto starting at 4 p.m., the building’s principal architect, Barry Sampson of Baird Sampson Neuert Architects, will be participating in a fireside chat on Sunday in the Rob and Cheryl McEwen Graduate Study & Research Building.
Visitors will be able to freely explore either one of these spaces or join a guided tour.
Other buildings located on the Keele Campus that are participating in Doors Open Toronto are the Seneca@York Stephen E. Quinlan Building and the Archives of Ontario. To learn more about the event, the buildings and their programs, visit the Doors Open Toronto website.