Toronto U of T: Myhal Centre for Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship | ?m | 8s | U of T | Montgomery Sisam

I disagree - the yellow bricks are a great modern counterpoint to a lot of the older yellow buildings on campus, and ever since they cleaned the facade of Convocation hall the new building is surprisingly similar in colour. I really appreciate the modern contrast between the two and in no way find it overwhelming.

You can see the brick cleaning in process below - note how similar the masonry colours are between the two buildings

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I second my fandom of the cleaned brick.

Thanks for contributing the photo!

We will have to disagree on Myhal here. Even in this photo, I find it intrusive.

I don't think I would like a 19thC building any better, at that height and placement.

I'm all for contrasting heritage buildings; and having our City adapt to modern realities; I also like spots that give a fulsome sense of a time (which includes scale); and in the same way that I want to be able to sit on a bluff in Rouge Park and not be able to anything urban as far as the eye can see (still possible in one or two spots); here, I want to feel the campus as it was meant to be in the late 19thC.

Yes, I do lament Med. Sci which doesn't fit either.
 
I second my fandom of the cleaned brick.

Thanks for contributing the photo!

We will have to disagree on Myhal here. Even in this photo, I find it intrusive.

I don't think I would like a 19thC building any better, at that height and placement.

I'm all for contrasting heritage buildings; and having our City adapt to modern realities; I also like spots that give a fulsome sense of a time (which includes scale); and in the same way that I want to be able to sit on a bluff in Rouge Park and not be able to anything urban as far as the eye can see (still possible in one or two spots); here, I want to feel the campus as it was meant to be in the late 19thC.

Yes, I do lament Med. Sci which doesn't fit either.

No problem - I can't really get on board with the 19th century pastoralism. Women couldn't even go to U of T until 1884, so I think it is important to consider the historical and social connotations vs just aesthetics and who a campus completely styled in traditional architecture is really for. The campus should not become a heritage diorama, and the university should continue building new structures that reflect their time of construction.
 
No problem - I can't really get on board with the 19th century pastoralism. Women couldn't even go to U of T until 1884, so I think it is important to consider the historical and social connotations vs just aesthetics and who a campus completely styled in traditional architecture is really for. The campus should not become a heritage diorama, and the university should continue building new structures that reflect their time of construction.

I agree that it's all to the good that social environment of the University has evolved.

I also have no problem with the contemporary architecture.

It's exclusively an issue of its placement relative to King's College Circle.

West campus (west of St. George ) doesn't have the same vibe, having mostly (but not exclusively) been built in the post WWII era.

That to me doesn't feel like an area to be constrained at all by its few heritage properties.

I just don't want to see that architecture from King's College Circle.
 
I just don't want to see that architecture from King's College Circle.


I don't want to come across as confrontational but the idea of Kings College Circle existing as some perfect, in-tact 19th century area is not grounded in reality. That is impossible because this is currently the condition of Kings College Circle, with hundreds of buildings visible from all different time periods.

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I don't want to come across as confrontational but the idea of Kings College Circle existing as some perfect, in-tact 19th century area is not grounded in reality. That is impossible because this is currently the condition of Kings College Circle, with hundreds of buildings visible from all different time periods.

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You have a preference, that's fine, I'm not arguing against it.

Kindly don't argue against mine.

Those buildings are off at a distance and are 'somewhere else'.

Myhal is much more present.

Again, just my perception and preference.
 
The university has long-term plans to redevelop a number of sites in this area. And the Myhal building will more or less define their scale. For better or worse.
 
I think this was the wrong massing for this site, same with the shade of yellow chosen for the brickwork.
 
This happened a year or two ago after the student suicide in Bahen across the street.
 
Not sure when this occurred but they've installed some pretty awful looking safety barriers throughout the atrium...

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Not sure when this occurred but they've installed some pretty awful looking safety barriers throughout the atrium...

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This happened a year or two ago after the student suicide in Bahen across the street.

Seems to date from fall 2019. I remember hearing about the 'temporary' barriers back then, but don't recall having seen them until now.

The story about the tragedies that led to their implementation and later permanence can be found here:


I can certainly understand the desire to do something quickly back in 2019; I'm not sure they settled on the best solution.
 
Seems to date from fall 2019. I remember hearing about the 'temporary' barriers back then, but don't recall having seen them until now.

The story about the tragedies that led to their implementation and later permanence can be found here:


I can certainly understand the desire to do something quickly back in 2019; I'm not sure they settled on the best solution.
I was actually in Bahen during the tragedy. As a UofT student, I can say there were more tragedies in Bahen after the one in 2019 that weren't heavily publicized. They added barriers to all the floors in Bahen shortly after the 3rd time... Unfortunately this doesn't solve the main problem of addressing mental health, it just shifts these tragedies off campus and UofT can say it's not their problem.

As well, Myhal use to have a open access balcony on the 8th floor, with no barriers over the balcony wall. Then they added metal wires so the balcony is more of a cage, as well as making the balcony key access only.
 

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