University of Toronto Scarborough - Campus

Campus

The campus of the University of Toronto Scarborough is considered equivalent to a mid-sized university. It sits on 123 hectares (300 acres) of land, forming the west side of the Highland Creek neighbourhood in Scarborough, the east-end of Toronto. It is bounded entirely by Morningside Avenue to the west. Its eastern, northern and southern borders are not definite, however; the campus grounds extend north halfway between Highway 401 and Ellesmere Road and extends south just above Old Kingston Road. Its eastern boundary is Military Trail while south of Ellesmere Road and slightly further east while north of Ellesmere. Unlike the university's main campus, the University of Toronto Scarborough is located in a suburban area, consisting of residential houses along its eastern side and urban forestry linking to Morningside Park on its southern and western side. The Highland Creek runs through the southern portion of the grounds and its valley consists of pedestrian trails that link the campus to nearby parks and neighbourhoods.

The Andrews Building, the original building of the campus named after its designer, was built in a brutalist architectural style and completed in 1964. The interiors were made to mimic streets of a city, with wide hallways and balconies on upper floors. It contains two separated wings, known as the Science Wing and the Humanities Wing, connected by an underground corridor. The Meeting Place, considered the intersection, is often used to hold cultural events in campus, as well as community events. The design of the Andrews Building, along with its unique closed circuit television teaching system, were targets of international acclaim during the decade. The Science Research Building, where post-graduate research facilities are located, is an extension of the Science Wing that was completed in 2008.

The 1970s and onward saw new buildings being designed in a modernist style. The Recreational Building was completed in 1972, followed by the Bladen Building, which opened the next year and named after Vincent Bladen, former dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science. An underground corridor completed in 1995, known as the Hall of Excellence, connects it to the Andrews Building. The Academic Research Centre (ARC) was built in 2003 as an extension of the Bladen Building with a copper finish. It contains the Bladen Library, also known as the University of Toronto Scarborough Library, which was relocated from its previous, smaller spot at the Bladen Building. The Doris McCarthy Gallery, also found in the ARC, exhibits works by Scarborough-born artist, Doris McCarthy. The Social Sciences Building, home of the Department of Social Sciences, opened in 2004. Brick and limestone were used to create the Arts and Administration Building, completed in 2005, which holds the Office of the Registrar and the principal's office. In 2011, the Instructional Centre opened as the largest building of the campus and became home to the Department of Management, the Department of Computer and Mathematical Sciences, and offices of cooperative education programs.

Student residence is located primarily in the southern part of the campus, consisting of townhouse style homes. The first residence area, the Student Village, which was able to accommodate 250 students, was opened in 1973 after pressure from traveling students. In 1985, a former building of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) near the campus was also converted to student residence. The 4-storey high Joan Foley Hall, opened in 2003, is the first apartment-style residence complex on campus, named after the campus's first female principal. The N'Sheemaehn Child Care Centre, one of the university's non-profit child day care facilities, opened in 1990. The Student Centre was opened in 2004 through a project that was initiated and funded by students. Constructed using 18 tonnes of recycled steel from a demolished gallery at the Royal Ontario Museum, its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification earned the building a Green Design Award from the City of Toronto. The campus is linked to nearby transportation hubs, such as Scarborough Centre and Rouge Hill GO Station by Toronto Transit Commission and to the Pickering and Ajax GO Stations by GO Transit and Durham Region Transit.

As of 2012, the construction of the Pan American Aquatics Centre and Field House is underway on campus, which will host diving, swimming and modern pentathlon competitions during the Pan American Games in 2015.