U of T revealed some major news today and we are so excited. The university has been given the largest donation it has ever received and as a result, something big is coming – literally. The University of Toronto is getting two all-new $100 million, massive 750,000 square-foot towers!
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The new towers will be called the Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre. It will be a 750,000-square-foot complex located in Toronto at the northeast corner of College and Queen's Park. The Centre will be designed by leading North American architectural firm, WEISS/MANFREDI, and display "innovation architecture", says the U of T's news release.
The Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre will be a stunning visual display with vertical gardens, soaring atria and collaborative spaces. The university expects that the new complex will be frequented by researchers, investors, international visitors and more.
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"For the first time, the University of Toronto will have a central facility where young entrepreneurs and faculty can dream big," says Scott Mabury, vice president of U of T's operations and real estate partnerships, in the news release.
"These flagship buildings will have purpose-built spaces for innovation and provide much-needed room for research-based scaleup companies, which will help to keep Canadian ideas and talent in Canada."
Check out some photos of the new towers below! They look absolutely stunning and we cannot wait to see it all come to life.
This $100 million donation to the university was a gift from Canadian power couple Gerry Schwartz and Heather Reisman, who are billionaires and philanthropists.
The new centre will be dedicated to advancing innovation in Canada through artificial intelligence, biomedicine and other technologies. "This new complex will contribute enormously to innovation at U of T," said world-renowned AI pioneer and professor, Geoffrey Hinton in the news release. "It will help consolidate Toronto’s leading position in the AI world."
The new complex will have two different phases of construction. The first phase will see the construction of a 250,000-square-foot, 12-storey tower. A 500,000-square-foot, 20-storey tower will be built during the second phase.
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The two towers will house different research spaces, laboratories, and more. They will also provide working space in Toronto for startups and fast-growing companies.
The university is planning to start the first phase of construction this upcoming fall. A completion date has not been announced yet. To find out more about the new Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre, you can visit the U of T's website.
