The Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre at the University of Toronto is located in the City of Toronto’s Discovery District on the eastern edge of the U of T campus. The program includes new space for a variety of existing and future University entrepreneurial tenants, including the Vector Institute of Artificial Intelligence and many health related start-ups, working in partnership with similar facilities in the neighbouring MaRS research centre and the various hospitals in the area. A group of public engagement and shared spaces on the lower floors, including large event spaces, instructional rooms, seminar rooms and an exhibition lobby, will foster collaboration, encourage exchange and build a community of innovators. Two multi-storey winter garden spaces, on the 7th and 10th floors, provide additional informal collaboration and presentation areas for all building users, with access to adjacent roof terraces and provide views to the City core and the adjacent Legislature buildings. The building’s dynamic tapered form acts as the east half of an informal gateway to the campus and to the Queen’s Park area.

The U of T tenant spaces include a mixture of private and open office areas, meeting rooms, wet and dry labs and shared collaboration areas. Approximately 100,000 sf is available for future tenants working in similar fields to the U of T users. These areas are interspersed throughout the building to encourage further synergies for the development of innovative products and services.

The building cladding is an innovative design, interpreting a variety of facade elements from other institutional buildings in the area, designed to assist in reaching the overall University goal to reduce energy use to 20% or more below ASHRAE-2013. The overall sustainability target is equivalent to LEED Gold; strategies include radiant floor heating, solar PV, highly reduced lighting loads due to the excellent daylighting opportunities achieved through small floor plates, heat recovery and storm water capture and reuse.

Weiss/Manfredi is the Design Architect while Teeple Architects is serving as Architect of Record.