The short list of architects for Creative City Campus (CCC) have been chosen. With over 20 submissions from top global firms, selecting a short list was no easy task. In fact, the quality of work was so outstanding that the initial short list of five was increased to six.
Here are the top six bidding firms, in alphabetical order:
- Baird Sampson Neuert Architects + NADAA
- Diamond Schmitt Architects
- Hariri Pontarini Architects
- KPMB Architects
- Teeple Architects + Morphosis
- Zeidler Partnership Architects + 3XN
As Canada’s university of the imagination, OCAD University is engaged in transformative education, scholarship and innovation. Creative City Campus (CCC) is a project that will revitalize and expand the core of the institution’s campus along McCaul Street in Toronto, Ontario. It will involve 150,000 square feet of new construction and renovation combined.
The project’s main goal is to create a 21st century healthy, accessible, and creative learning environment to ensure students have full access to technology-enabled studio-based, experiential and collaborative learning. Cutting edge media, technology and state of the art digital fabrication will be integrated throughout the facility to enhance teaching opportunities, social interaction and new ways of thinking, making and doing. The project will also address the university’s deferred maintenance backlog and will significantly improve the efficiency and performance of the facility.
The Project prioritizes OCAD U’s core values of sustainability, diversity, inclusivity, indigeneity, invention, entrepreneurship and heritage. These values have underpinned the program development, design process and implementation of all project components, and are integrated throughout all stages of design thinking, stakeholder engagement, planning and project management.
Firms were chosen by a selection committee of OCADU staff and faculty who judged the submission based on their ability to reflect the university’s core values and principles. The main criteria for selection included:
- Integrated design process and complex stakeholder group engagement
- Experience with a post-secondary institution - program, design, project strategy
- Commitment to social and environmental sustainability
- Appreciation and respect for heritage conservation
- Appreciation and respect for indigeneity
- Demonstrated innovative and dynamic design
- Cutting edge and integrated technology
- Expert project management
Two rounds of presentations of the finalists will take place at the end of October, with the recommended architect presenting to the PRCA (Physical Resources and Capital Assets Committee) on November 10, 2016. Board approval of the contract with the architect will be finalized on December 5, 2016.
For more information about Creative city campus you can visit the website at http://www.ocadu.ca/creativecitycampus or contact Robin Buxton Potts at rbuxtonpotts@ocadu.ca.