TMU Student Wellbeing Centre Gould Street view. Image credit: Hariri Pontarini Architects A Student Wellbeing Centre (SWC) designed by Siamak Hariri, of Hariri Pontarini Architects, is set to rise in the heart of Toronto Metropolitan University’s (TMU) urban campus. The groundbreaking ceremony on May 6, 2025, reaffirms a commitment to student wellbeing as the foundation of campus life. The SWC will rise on a tight site at the campus at the intersection of Bond and Gould Streets, preserving and restoring the heritage O’Keefe House (1855). An eight-story, hybrid mass-timber tower enfolds the former student residence. Warm and enduring materials, natural light, and greenery also seek to establish a home-like setting where students can access medical, health, wellness, and academic support services, which are currently scattered across the university. “Configuring these program relationships for visibility, security, and accessibility was critical to making the building welcoming and supportive of the privacy of individuals,” said Hariri. The vertical stacking of program allows for a core of green terraces, meeting rooms, and lounge spaces and aims to create a vertical landscaping motif of the “Tree of Well-being.” This is characterized by cantilevered glass boxes which extend from the verdant double-height ground floor upwards through the centre of the building. The project frames nature as the heart of the building and acknowledges its role in restoration and healing, a valued Indigenous perspective and approach to wellness inspired by the Food Forest Teachings of Elder Duke Redbird, introduced here by Two Row Architect. Exposed timber decking also reinforces the positive benefits on occupants of this calming connection to nature and the sustainable building targets Fitwel 2-star certification, an measure of the built environment’s impact on human health and wellbeing. TMU Student Wellbeing Centre Gould Street view. Image credit: Hariri Pontarini Architects “The Student Wellbeing Centre is at the heart of our vision for well-being supports and services on campus,” said Mohamed Lachemi, president and vice-chancellor, TMU. “It is no coincidence that our students have led the support for this project because at TMU, our students have a track record of being drivers of change.” The 33,360 square-foot tower massing features a fritted glazed façade on the north and west elevations. A new terrace on the rooftop of the heritage house also adds a private space of retreat adjacent to group counseling rooms. “This building will be a beacon of support to students at TMU in a space that offers shelter, renewal, and quiet strength,” added Hariri. The $42-million project is largely funded by a student health and well-being fee and will open in 2027. The post Siamak Hariri designs Student Wellbeing Centre at Toronto Metropolitan University appeared first on Canadian Architect.