Erindale Hall, University of Toronto at Mississauga
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Baird Sampson Neuert Architects

Dorm nurtures collegiality among first-year students

© Michael Awad

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Erindale Hall is a new 200-bed residence that embraces its spatial and temporal role as a place of transition for first-year university students. Integrating built forms with natural site attributes, the project creates a locus of collegial society that will enrich the quality of student’s experiences. It also contributes to the university's goal of building a "northern campus."

The dorm's elongated plan is defined by single-loaded horizontal bar elevated over a colonnade, which shelters the main campus pedestrian route known as the "five-minute walk." The colonnade is designed to encourage social interaction and engage the landscape.

Collective facilities are concentrated on the ground floor adjacent to the colonnade, behind a serpentine wall of glass alternating with massive limestone panels. Areas of transparency provide visual and physical linkages through the building. Fossilized stone panels contrast with the slick reflective glass and recall a nearby river’s passage through space and time.

Suites on the west side of the building are clustered into vertical towers that establish gaps along the internal corridor, providing daylight and views to exterior landscapes. The suites promote sociability and provide space for quiet contemplation. Within the horizontal bar, units are arranged to overlook the "five-minute walk." Living rooms are grouped together to create large, inset openings with floor-through views. On the west, large corner windows to living areas form towers of glass and overlook courtyards and the surrounding landscape. Bedrooms feature expansive windows, daylighting, and natural ventilation.

Formal name of Project:
Erindale Hall, University of Toronto at Mississauga

Location:
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Gross square footage:
77,320 sq. ft.

Total construction cost:
$10.75 Million

Owner:
University of Toronto

Architect:
Baird Sampson Neuert Architects Inc.
35 Britain Street, Third floor
Toronto, Ontario M5A1R7
T. 416-363-8877
F. 416-363-4029

Back row (left to right): Mary Jo Pollak, José Uribe-Pabon, Colin Ripley,
Ian Douglas, Jon Neuert, Jed Braithwaite, Geoff Thün
Front row (left to right): George Baird, Jennifer Barker, Barry Sampson,
Mauro Carreño, Nene Stout, Nicholas Choy, Yves Bonnardeaux.