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Rosalie Sharp Pavilion
Rosalie Sharp Pavilion
Toronto, Canada
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Other Projects by Bortolotto Design
Rosalie Sharp Pavilion
Toronto, Canada
Firm
Type
STATUS
Built
YEAR
2019
SIZE
10,000 sqft - 25,000 sqft
BUDGET
$5M - 10M
Photos
For this signature project on OCAD U’s campus, we reimagined an outdated building as a dynamic gateway that welcomes students into the world of art and design in downtown Toronto.
Part of a campus of buildings belonging to the OCAD (Ontario College of Art & Design) University, the Rosalie Sharp Pavilion occupies a prominent site in downtown Toronto at the corner of Dundas and McCaul Streets, directly across from the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). In response to the client brief, we designed a landmark building that functions as an interactive threshold at the northern edge of the McCaul Street campus corridor, reflecting the scale, massing, and form of the urban context, while reinforcing the university’s brand and presence.
The building is wrapped in a perforated stainless-steel scrim that represents both formal and technological innovation. The intricate laser-cut pattern is in fact a data visualization map of Toronto that reinterprets the city, highlighting art and design institutions, public art installations, and pockets of artist communities. The lacy structure gently peels away from the edges of the building, creating visual intrigue with its complex and compelling patterns and animating the street with views to students working on their art and design projects inside.
The building on the OCAD U campus represents a contextually responsive gesture that helps knit the larger community together architecturally, promoting greater cohesion and dynamism in the neighbourhood. Characterized by a harmonious integration of institutional, cultural, retail, and residential uses, this campus corridor provides an enriched urban experience for those who live, work, and study here. The Pavilion is a highly visible and expressive building that signals one’s arrival on campus, activates the streetscape, and heightens OCAD U’s identity. It is a fitting complement to the commercial galleries on the north side of Dundas Street, and in adopting an exterior expression that defers to Frank Gehry’s remaking of the AGO, it manifests a consistent architectural vocabulary along the south side of Dundas Street, conveying coherence and continuity.
The project comprises a complete transformation of a building that formerly housed administrative offices into an efficient, student-centric, and largely open-concept plan. We retrofitted existing mechanical and electrical systems to meet a stringent sustainability mandate and pursued upgrades to deliver a high-performance envelope and cladding system. The interior conveys a raw industrial aesthetic — the material palette consists of concrete, masonry, glass, and steel — and features studios along with exhibition, meeting, and event spaces to expand digital and work-integrated learning.
The reimagining and reshaping of the Rosalie Sharp Pavilion, both inside and out, represents a significant advancement in OCAD U’s continued transformation of this important arts, education, and cultural precinct, reinforcing its unique position as Canada’s “university of the imagination.”
Part of a campus of buildings belonging to the OCAD (Ontario College of Art & Design) University, the Rosalie Sharp Pavilion occupies a prominent site in downtown Toronto at the corner of Dundas and McCaul Streets, directly across from the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). In response to the client brief, we designed a landmark building that functions as an interactive threshold at the northern edge of the McCaul Street campus corridor, reflecting the scale, massing, and form of the urban context, while reinforcing the university’s brand and presence.
The building is wrapped in a perforated stainless-steel scrim that represents both formal and technological innovation. The intricate laser-cut pattern is in fact a data visualization map of Toronto that reinterprets the city, highlighting art and design institutions, public art installations, and pockets of artist communities. The lacy structure gently peels away from the edges of the building, creating visual intrigue with its complex and compelling patterns and animating the street with views to students working on their art and design projects inside.
The building on the OCAD U campus represents a contextually responsive gesture that helps knit the larger community together architecturally, promoting greater cohesion and dynamism in the neighbourhood. Characterized by a harmonious integration of institutional, cultural, retail, and residential uses, this campus corridor provides an enriched urban experience for those who live, work, and study here. The Pavilion is a highly visible and expressive building that signals one’s arrival on campus, activates the streetscape, and heightens OCAD U’s identity. It is a fitting complement to the commercial galleries on the north side of Dundas Street, and in adopting an exterior expression that defers to Frank Gehry’s remaking of the AGO, it manifests a consistent architectural vocabulary along the south side of Dundas Street, conveying coherence and continuity.
The project comprises a complete transformation of a building that formerly housed administrative offices into an efficient, student-centric, and largely open-concept plan. We retrofitted existing mechanical and electrical systems to meet a stringent sustainability mandate and pursued upgrades to deliver a high-performance envelope and cladding system. The interior conveys a raw industrial aesthetic — the material palette consists of concrete, masonry, glass, and steel — and features studios along with exhibition, meeting, and event spaces to expand digital and work-integrated learning.
The reimagining and reshaping of the Rosalie Sharp Pavilion, both inside and out, represents a significant advancement in OCAD U’s continued transformation of this important arts, education, and cultural precinct, reinforcing its unique position as Canada’s “university of the imagination.”
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