New arts, culture and technology building planned for UTM

UTM will be growing again, with a new building — in early planning stages — at the northwest corner of campus.

The building, to be constructed on land across from Deerfield Hall and Maanjiwe nendamowinan on Outer Circle Road, will focus on arts, culture and technology — which also provides its working title: the ACT building.

Saher Fazilat, UTM’s chief administrative officer, calls the building a “step forward” in U of T’s mission to expand into new areas of study, including state-of-the-art robotics, in line with the U of T Strategic Research Plan for 2018-2023.

The development is contingent on governance and planning approvals from UTM, U of T and the City of Mississauga, Fazilat emphasizes.

The conceptual architectural design is a joint venture between Danish firm Henning Larsen and Canadian firm KPMB.

Space within the ACT building is expected to include an expansion of the Blackwood Gallery as well as an Indigenous centre, restaurant, tiered lecture theatre for film viewings and relocation of the Institute of Communication, Culture, Information and Technology and computer science offices, says Johanna Stille, senior planner of Facilities Management and Planning (FMP).

Currently, UTM is undertaking soil tests in the area, and informing internal and external communities.

“We are testing and assessing our property to make sure that it’s viable for future development,” says Tammy Cook, FMP’s executive director.

The University hopes to start site plan approval discussions with the city in early 2021. If all goes according to plan, construction could begin in early 2022 with a tentative completion date in late 2024.