TSA Building Tour: Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus

Please note this building tour is now sold out. A waitlist has been opened, and tickets will be released as they become available. If you have a ticket and you are no longer able to attend, please be sure to cancel your ticket so other attendees may join instead. 

For our last in-person TSA Building Tour of 2024, join us as we explore the University of Toronto’s new Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus – West (SRIC), a uniquely shaped tower housing entrepreneurial tenants, health-related startups, and plenty of collaboration spaces! 

Located at one of the city’s most prominent intersections, the new SRIC marks the first phase of a major two-part project. Its dynamic tapered form creates an iconic, informal gateway to the University of Toronto campus and Queen’s Park. With the goal of promoting interaction and enhancing industry collaboration and commercialization among its tenants, the building features extensive shared collaboration zones and public engagement spaces, including large event areas, instructional rooms, seminar spaces, and an exhibition lobby. The SRIC also boasts multi-storey winter gardens, roof terraces, and views of the city and Legislature buildings. 

During our tour, we will have the opportunity to visit the ground floor public spaces and the showpiece event space, as well as some of the collaborative spaces on upper floors. Our tour guides will also share some of the challenges faced when building iconic forms in the context of Toronto Zoning Regulations and when working on such a high-profile project amid the COVID pandemic.

This tour will be led by Teeple Architects, Architect of Record for the SRIC. You can learn more about our tour guides below.

TSA Member Priority Access: This tour is 50% off for TSA Members using the promo code found in the latest TSA Bulletin or on the Member Dashboard. TSA Members also receive early access to tickets on Wednesday, August 28 at 9:00 AM. Spots remaining will then be made available to the public on September 10 at 9:00 AM. Not a member yet? Become a TSA Member today and get access to free, discounted, and exclusive member programming.

About the Project: Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus – West

The University of Toronto’s Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus – West, located in the Discovery District on the eastern edge of the campus, marks the first phase of a major two-part project. This building provides new space for University entrepreneurial tenants like the University of Toronto Entrepreneurship group (UTE) and the Innovations and Partnerships Office (IPO), and is anchored by the Vector Institute of Artificial Intelligence (VIAI) as well as numerous health-related startups. With its close proximity to the MaRS Research Centre and leading research hospitals, the central theme of the project is to create a facility which can enhance industry collaboration and commercialization.

The project’s public engagement spaces on the lower floors—large event areas, instructional rooms, seminar spaces, and an exhibition lobby—promote interaction and community among innovators. The 7th and 10th floors feature multi-storey winter gardens with informal collaboration zones, access to roof terraces, and views of the city and Legislature buildings. The building’s dynamic tapered form creates an iconic, informal gateway to the campus and Queen’s Park. U of T tenant spaces include private and open offices, meeting rooms, wet and dry labs, and shared collaboration areas. Approximately 100,000 sf is reserved for future tenants, fostering synergies in innovation. The building’s cladding is a modern interpretation of local institutional architecture, designed to reduce energy use by over 20% below ASHRAE-2013 standards, with additional sustainability features aimed at LEED Gold equivalent.

Learn more about this project here and here.

Project Team

Architect of Record: Teeple Architects Inc.

Design Architect: Weiss/Manfredi

About TSA Building Tours

Designed for architects by architects, the TSA Building Tours offer unique behind-the-scenes access to recently completed or under construction buildings across the GTA. Led by the team behind their design, these tours provide an opportunity to hear the stories behind the architecture and learn about the challenges and successes in ideating and realising the vision for the building.

TSA Building Tours are made possible thanks to the generous support of STEIN + REGENCY.