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Mike Smith’s Ryerson education has come full circle.

The architectural science ’87 graduate is a senior associate at Zeidler Partnership Architects, one of two architect firms handling the construction of Ryerson’s new Student Learning Centre (SLC). In partnership with Snøhetta, Zeidler co-created a design that will give the entire community an outstanding environment to study, collaborate and share ideas. As the project architect for the SLC, Smith has worked with different Ryerson groups such as students, faculty and staff in campus facilities, operations and the Library.

“I jumped at the chance to work on the project because you get to contribute something and it’s great to create a building that’s for public use,” Smith said. “We wanted to design something that was a gateway to the campus from Yonge Street. Ryerson is a bit hidden right now but the SLC would open it up. Plus it’s tied to the Master Plan where Gould is becoming a pedestrian street so the SLC would be an entry point for students and pedestrians.”

 Zeidler chose to work with Snøhetta because of the company’s previous experience designing libraries, and while Smith wasn’t the sole designer of the SLC, the collaborative process allowed him to have a hand in its creation.

“It’s great, I’ve really enjoyed working on it,” Smith said. “I have an opportunity to make a difference there. It’s the kind of project architects love to work on because it’s not corporate or industrial and there’s lots of interaction between clients. It’s not a large project so you can see the changes being made.”

A major asset for Smith and his team is that students have been included in the process every step of the way. They have weighed in on furniture design and the LEED assessment evaluation, which ensures practical and green building, design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.

“It’s a good learning opportunity and Ryerson has wanted that from day one,” Smith said. “Students and faculty have their say about what works and what doesn’t when looking at existing spaces, which makes a difference and is helpful for us.”

Smith grew up in Toronto and while many returning alumni comment on how Ryerson has changed over the years, Smith has witnessed Ryerson’s transformation first hand.

“It’s still a familiar place to me [but] it’s becoming far more diverse in terms of students and courses offered,” he said. “The whole campus is growing and course offerings are increasing along with the number of applicants. The SLC and other facilities like the new image arts building and Mattamy Athletic Centre are helping create student space.”

The Student Learning Centre will be a mixed-use building offering retail at street level and below grade, and will be home to a new Digital Media Zone and a wide range of academic support services to promote learning success. Canadian Architect magazine gave it an Award of Excellence for its state-of-the-art space and iconic, bold presence on Yonge Street. It’s expected to be completed by fall 2014.

Visit http://ryersonbuilds.ryerson.ca/ to learn more about the Student Learning Centre and Ryerson’s other active projects.