School of Continuing Studies

York University’s existing School of Continuing Studies (SCS) was dispersed on campus throughout a series of temporary accommodations - a critical shortcoming for faculty and students. In response, the University articulated the need for a dedicated building to assert the School’s identity and culture, define a campus gateway, and meet ambitious sustainability targets. The bold twisting form shapes a new pedestrian plaza and accommodates highly flexible learning environments, social and collaboration spaces, and offices for students and faculty. The project brings the programs together into a single home with lofty, bright spaces that promote community, culture, and identity for the faculty’s students and staff. The core project goals are to reduce embodied carbon and improve occupant health. The design explores the potential for Net-Zero Energy and Net-Zero Carbon and targets LEED Gold certification. The use of high-performance envelope combined with highly efficient HVAC and energy systems reduce energy loads greatly, minimizing the extent of the renewable energy production needed to aid the project achieving the Net-Zero Energy target. The design approach creates a formal departure from the surrounding built fabric with a strict economy of means, deploying a rigorous geometry that optimizes the repetition of standard, off-the-shelf components. Thus, the building’s dynamic form is generated through a simple geometric logic, with rectangular floor plates rotated around a common centroid. The rotation of the overall form introduces a two-way curve into the north and south facades. As the building rotates about its centroid, a triangulated panel pattern takes advantage of regular and biaxial symmetry to create zones of repeat panel shapes on both the long and short facades of the building. Through this simple twisting gesture, the brief of creating a striking new home for the School of Continuing Studies, which promotes the combined agendas of energy efficiency, occupant well-being, and campus building, is accomplished. One Total System Building Skin: A high-performance unitized curtain wall creates a continuous, taut, and efficient building skin that maximizes views while reducing energy use to approximately 100kWh/m2a. Triangular openings allow seamless panelization and expansive eye-level transparency. Steel Frame: The building twists to create two new plazas on a tight campus site. Perimeter columns change angle along the length of the building, while inboard columns are plumb, reducing steel weight. Interior Planning: Program blocks are treated as interior pavilions, while student study and lounge space occupy the perimeter of the plan. These dynamic spaces offer a range of bright and distinctive environments for study and socialization. Cores: Low-carbon concrete cores efficiently brace the building’s twisted form. Campus Room: At grade and below, the building is an extension of the campus, with openings that bring daylight to all levels. Gateway Plaza: The building’s twisting form creates a new gateway plaza that connects to the campus’s evolving transit network. Systems: Direct outdoor air ventilation and active chilled beams throughout the building reduce energy use while maximizing fresh air, supporting occupant health and learning outcomes. A future PV array will support 100% of the building’s energy needs.