TORONTO, December 18, 2006 -- York University President and Vice-Chancellor Lorna R. Marsden enthusiastically welcomed today’s decision by the Ontario government and the Ontario Realty Corporation to locate its new Archives of Ontario building at York University’s Keele campus.
This move is a part of a larger project that will bring together two significant provincial infrastructure investments – the other being the extension of the York-Spadina subway line – into a single project, as well as expanding and connecting to the existing York Lanes building.
“We are absolutely delighted by the decision which will provide a first-class home for the Archives at the heart of an expanding GTA,” said Marsden. “The addition of the new subway line through the University to York Region will make this location even more convenient for Ontarians. This new ‘green’ building is also a perfect complement to our academic mission and adds much-needed research and academic space.”
The new Archives of Ontario is an integrated, multi-use three-storey 290,000-square-foot podium building picking up on the scale of York’s inner core buildings. It will contain the archives and an expansion of existing retail, as well as incorporate access to the new subway. A seven-storey “research tower” will be set back on the podium, containing an additional 120,000 square feet of academic and research space.
The archives themselves require secure and environmentally sensitive vaults to keep them in their optimum state. As such, the archives design will meet LEED Silver Certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System TM) specifications, the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings.
“This project is unique and forward-thinking in both its design and sustainability,” said York University’s Vice-President of Finance and Administration Gary Brewer. “Having secured an independent consortium through an independent procurement process ensures a no-risk financial option for York to build the Archives facility. At the same time, York is demonstrating an ahead-of-the-curve vision when it comes to future development of public transit and expanded academic possibilities for our University.”
The estimated cost of the entire project will be $100 million. The new Archives of Ontario is scheduled to be completed in March 2009, which coincides with the University’s 50th anniversary.
York University is the leading interdisciplinary research and teaching university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada’s most international city. The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 50,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as 190,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 11 faculties and 23 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries. This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges. York University is an autonomous, not-for-profit corporation.
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Alex Bilyk
Director, Media Relations
York University
(416) 736-5603
