A healthier, happier learning and work environment for students, faculty and staff was among the key design elements of York University’s Technology Enhanced Learning building (TEL).
Located on the York University campus, the facility is operated jointly by Seneca College and York. One of Ontario’s largest buildings for academic collaboration between a university and college, it houses 2,000 York and 2,000 Seneca students in 360,000 SF. The five-storey building occupies its entire rectangular site to meet the demands of its functional program. The exterior reads as interlocking rectilinear volumes, highlighted by a textural mix of pre-cast concrete, glass curtain wall, and metal cladding that respect and respond to the surrounding York campus architectural qualities.
The main goals for the complex included introducing green spaces to an existing complex, and creating flexible spaces that would accommodate the most current technologies as well as to adapt to the requirements of future technologies. The early implementation of LEED design concepts integrated energy-efficient technologies throughout the electrical systems including:
These sustainable, innovative design concepts earned the 2004 Energy and Environmental Design Award of Merit from the IESNA. CEL’s design team established green design principals to exceed the National Energy Codes requirements by making the building over 25% more efficient than the MNECB equivalent model.
Natural ventilation was achieved by installing operable windows and dampers in the building. Lighting sensors also controlled the amount of supplied outdoor air to respective areas while pressure sensors controlled dampers in the core of the building to ensure optimal pressure levels.
