Opportunity

Lash Miller Building is located at a prominent position on campus at the intersection between St. George Street and Willcocks Common. The renovation and expansion has great potential to reaffirm its presence in the public realm in the heart of University of Toronto.

The Lash Miller Chemistry Building Expansion will house the University of Toronto’s Acceleration Consortium – recipient of a $200-million dollar Canada First Research Excellence Fund grant, the largest federal research grant ever awarded to a Canadian university. Conceived as a ‘self-driving lab’, the Acceleration Consortium is the first facility of its kind in Canada focused on evolving AI-based, high-throughput automated chemistry. The facility will also expand research space for the Faculty of Arts & Science ’s Department of Chemistry

Response

Collaborative meeting spaces strategically located at key circulation nodes will encourage cross pollination and innovation.

A gracious main floor lobby and atrium welcome students and staff to new state-of-the art, active learning spaces designed to maximize accessibility and promote interactive teaching for both graduate and undergraduate arts and sciences courses.

The building utilizes large expanses of rendered steel and glass to maximize the feeling of ‘science on display’. The composition creates an iconic landmark at the heart of the St. George Campus, signaling the University of Toronto’s commitment to research and innovation.