On St. George Street, north of Hoskin, a shiny glass cube now perches above a red brick heritage house. The glass structure, which is also connected to the modernist-style edifice next door, is the spacious new addition to the Rotman School of Management that opened on September 5 after three years of construction. Melding the buildings was deliberate, says one of the architects, Bruce Kuwabara – intended to reflect visually the business school’s catchphrase: Integrative Thinking.
Inside, all that glass also lets in natural light to stairwells, the café, and the 400-seat event room, helping the school save on electricity costs. The architects also designed natural gathering spaces throughout the $90-million building, including several grassy rooftop terraces with spectacular views of the city.
The school’s 11 research centres are at last all under one roof. And all that elbow room will let the school expand its program size as well; they’ll soon take in 50 per cent more full-time MBA and 30 per cent more PhD candidates. “By reaching a certain scale, we gain competitive advantage in the global business education market,” says Roger Martin, dean of the Rotman School.
Watch a video about the new building:
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