Sheridan College Student Life Centre

Copyright: Younes Bounhar, doublespace photography

How do you create a sense of place in a suburban setting? As part of the Sheridan College Hazel McCallion Campus, the new Student Life Centre project presents an innovative solution to this question. Located in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga, the Student Life Centre is an important addition to the growing downtown core and an integral component of the expanding college campus. The 6,500sq m student hub connects to the previously completed Phase 2 academic building, and contains a gymnasium and running track, fitness studios, study spaces, club rooms, food outlets, and administrative spaces, establishing a social core for the growing campus. A simple rectangular form encompasses a complex interrelation of spaces in the interior, fostering a sense of community among the student population. The interior spaces are carefully curated to create visual connections between the diverse mix of functions, encouraging interactions between programs and users that produce a layered experience as one moves through the building. The exterior form is wrapped in white aluminum cladding with a varying pattern of vertical fins that play with light and shadow, while punched windows offer glimpses of the spatial complexity inside. At ground level, the building becomes fully transparent, opening itself up to the adjacent park that links the campus to the surrounding community, reinforcing it as a destination on campus. The Sheridan College Student Life Centre wraps a social and community-oriented student hub in a clean, attractive envelope and establishes a clear sense of place amidst a developing suburban context.