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The design for Ryerson’s Student Learning Centre (SLC) has won a national Award of Excellence from Canadian Architect magazine.

The SLC design was one of only eight to earn the award – there were 211 submissions from across the country.

"It's incredibly exciting to have the design of our Student Learning Centre earn an Award of Excellence from Canadian Architect magazine,” said Julia Hanigsberg, vice-president, administration and finance. "From the beginning we wanted a transformative and bold development for our city, a building that would serve as an outstanding environment for our students to study and collaborate. Zeidler Partnership Architects of Toronto and Snøhetta of Oslo, Norway and New York City have given us a spectacular design that surpasses those objectives and will inspire our campus and engage the community for many years to come. Congratulations to Snøhetta and Zeidler – we are so proud of what you have created for us."

The magazine’s Awards of Excellence recognize significant building projects in Canada in the design stage. Jurors assess site, geographical and social context, and evaluate physical organization, structure, materials and environmental features.

The SLC received the award for its state-of-the-art space and iconic, bold presence on Yonge Street. Designed by the acclaimed international architectural team of Zeidler Partnership Architects of Toronto and Snøhetta of Oslo, Norway and New York City, the eight-storey Centre will feature a dazzling glass façade, a welcoming elevated plaza, a bridge to the existing Library and a range of academic, study and collaborative spaces for Ryerson's students, faculty and staff. Yonge Street frontage will feature destination retail at and below grade, creating a prominent commercial façade.

Peter Sampson of Peter Sampson Architecture Studio in Winnipeg was one of three jurors on the awards panel. Sampson said, “Not all university campuses have the privilege of giving shape and energy to their downtown cores. There are a handful in Canada that, through location alone, can extend their campuses beyond the gates and into the city. I am drawn here by the serious investment that Ryerson is making to its neighbourhood. From sheer energy and density of activity alone, the Learning Centre will transform Toronto's Dundas Square into a hybrid civic and campus commons.”

Read all jurors’ comments about the SLC design, at www.canadianarchitect.com/Awards/RyersonUniversity.aspx. For more about the building, visit www.ryerson.ca/ryersonbuilds.

Each of the centre’s levels will have a distinctive character – some will be open and interpretive with flexible furniture, while others will have enclosed study rooms dividing the floors into various configurations. As a further demonstration of Ryerson’s long-time leadership in sustainability, the building is targeted to be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver compliant.

The lightweight, transparent, high-performance glass skin will feature a surface design that will vary lighting intensity within the interior space. While the concrete structure is visibly rugged and heavy, the glass skin of the building will be lightweight and transparent. A frit pattern emphasizes this delicate nature, while also creating varying lighting qualities within the interior.

The SLC was made possible by a transformative investment of $45 million from the Government of Ontario. Construction on the building is expected to begin early this year with a targeted completion date of winter 2014.