The 19,000 sq.ft., three storey, in-fill addition and 47,000 sq.ft. interior renovation of the George Brown Chef School on Toronto’s Adelaide Street East dramatically opens and transforms a 1980’s building into a showcase for innovation in culinary education. The $18 million project enables the college to expand its food and hospitality programs by as much as fifty per cent, to attract and retain the best faculty and students and to augment the school’s presence within the city by initiating a recognizable campus landmark.No longer confined to rear and basement kitchens, George Brown’s student chefs are visible in a culinary performance through a two-storey glass façade that exposes four kitchen “labs” to the street. The students’ starched white chef uniforms and hats are highly visible against a backdrop of gleaming stainless steel workstations, ranges, ovens, washing stations and racks of pots and pans. The stainless steel is accented by brightly-coloured fume hoods and walls, sparkling lighting, lush herb gardens and plasma monitors that add a kinetic and spectacular effect to the architecture as they project close-up views of food preparation. These exposed labs reflect the changing profile of the culinary industry by not only glamourizing the preparation of food, but also by offering students a hands-on experience, rather than learning within more conventional demonstration kitchens.The street level views into the interiors of the kitchen labs provide the ultimate branding tool for the college. Even when the school is closed, horizontal strips of coloured glass ensure that the façade provides an interesting counterpoint to the austere visual landscape of predominantly historic masonry buildings along Adelaide Street. From the interior, the glazing provides views down Frederick Street towards the school’s newly created learning restaurant, The Chefs’ House, visually connecting the two buildings. These fresh facilities increase the dynamism of George Brown’s presence within the neighbourhood and frame the street so that there are clear possibilities for creating an external campus identity.
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