Toronto, Ontario, 1998
The study was commissioned to the Faculty of Architecture,
Landscape and Design by a group of University departments. Klaus
Dunker and Philip Beesley were commissioned to explore options to
increase the stock of student accommodation in the south-west quarter
of the University of Toronto campus. The study responded to the
current University-wide mandate for expanding student accommodation
by approximately 1100 units. The study identified approximately
500 new units with 840 net new bedrooms.
Historic developments have lead the university to turn its back
on Spadina Avenue. This study produced a detailed plan for three
key sites bordering Spadina Avenue inviting a reversal of this trend.
Instead of the threatening prospect of the Spadina expressway, the
broad avenue of Spadina can be transformed into an attractive, tree-lined
boulevard integrating dramatically different scales of traffic while
at the same time offering bustling, convivial pedestrian environments.
The three sites act as thresholds forming connections between the
University and the city.
