The new student residence at University Toronto Mississauga is a response to the significant demand for more undergraduate housing on campus. The residence comprises 400-beds across an equal number of single and double rooms. It will house mostly first-year students, with select single bedrooms for upper year students serving as Dons and a ground floor apartment for a live-in Residence Life professional.

The design is a long, narrow, six-storey building situated next to Oscar Peter Hall among the campus’ existing stock of student residences. Vertically, the residence is conceived in two parts. The first part is a generous podium that houses the community functions of the building – the lobby, conference room, music room, games room, laundry facility and event hall. The second part is a multi-level, multi-unit assembly that accommodates the residential functions of the building – student bedrooms, shared washroom facilities, common lounge areas and study rooms. Horizontally, the building is broken down into three volumes. These volumes are inflected to moderate the overall mass of the building. At grade, a break between two of the volumes creates a walkthrough condition that aligns with the current circulation network.

This design draws inspiration from the UTM’s beautiful ravine setting and the natural amenities it enjoys at its doorstep. To complement the forested site, the pedestrian level is clad in wood. Where the podium ends, tree crowns begin to give students’ the illusion of living in the treetops. The upper levels are clad in a copper-toned aluminum that, together with the vertical fins, controls heat and direct sunlight as it travels around the building. The new student residence is targeting LEED Gold certification and will serve as a model of sustainability for the UTM campus.

Montgomery Sisam Architects in association with Christensen & Co. Architects