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www.lawtimesnews.com Law TiMes / March 10, 2008 Page 5 Hariri Pontarini to lighten up U of T law T he University of Toronto's Faculty of Law has taken the next step in its $60-million redevelopment project by announcing that Toronto architectural firm Hariri Pontarini will take the lead in reinvigorating one of the city's most striking pieces of real estate. Dean Mayo Moran says among the most attractive features of the firm's proposal was its use of the Queen's Park Circle cityscape. "We've always in a way turned our back on Queen's Park and faced the university," Moran tells Law Times. "But this design makes a very conscious choice to engage with Queen's Park and the city, which I think is philosophically right and wonderful." Moran says the faculty had hundreds of members of the public weigh in on the final design options, and many of the comments described Hariri Pontarini's design as "city-aware." The project also will be environmentally friendly, she notes, with green roofs and other leading-edge environmental technology in the plans. Hariri Pontarini worked with leading environmental engineers from across the globe to shape the initial planning phase, says Moran. "We are truly thrilled and deeply honoured to be working with Dean Moran and her team on this project of a lifetime," says Siamak Hariri, a partner at the architecture firm, in a release. "Our proposed design is about building community — to create a strong, central, uplifting space that gathers the entire school, enables accidental encounters, and hosts celebrations. The central gathering space, dubbed The Forum, will be a welcoming place for major events and one that encourages intellectual dialogue between classes." Hariri Pontarini contributed to the Governor General Award- winning Schulich School of Business and Executive Learning Centre at York University, worked on the U of Toronto Faculty of Law's expansion of Flavelle House and comprehensive master plan in 2002, and contributed to ongoing renovations at the U of T's Department of Economics. Hariri says: "This is one of the sweetest locations on campus, if not the city, situated between Queen's Park and Philosopher's Walk. The proposed design seeks to take full advantage of the potential of this amazing site. We are confident that the design will reflect the stature of this great law school in an understated, inspiring, and enduring way." Moran says there's an important connection between academic achievement and architecture. "There are spaces that can make your spirit suffer and there are spaces that can make it soar," she says. "And unfortunately a lot of buildings that people are educated in, literally from elementary school right on through university, were built at a time when some of the classrooms had very little light; they're kind of dungeon-like and they turn their back on the natural environment for reasons that probably seemed good in the 60s. "I am very keen to be able to bring students into a space that really makes them want to aspire to better and higher things," says Moran. "That's something that would really enhance the great education we offer here." A pair of reviews in 2001 and 2006 pointed to a pressing need for upgrades at the campus. The faculty has expanded since its establishment in 1887 to currently house 60 full-time faculty members along with about 25 short-term visiting professors and over 700 undergraduate and graduate students. Growth at the faculty has left it "bursting at the seams and in desperate need of space." In June 2007, the law school notified firms from Canada and abroad that it wanted advice on how to enhance its existing site. Applicants were asked to use the school's prominent location on Queen's Park Crescent "by introducing new physical and visual connections with both Queen's Park and Philosopher's Walk," according to a release. Other considerations were the proposals' ability to augment existing historic buildings, along with their environmental sustainability and physical accessibility. Submissions were accepted until June 27, 2007, when a selection committee made up of university delegates and faculty members reviewed the proposals. Six firms were subsequently shortlisted and interviewed by an expanded committee that also included members of Toronto's architectural community. Three firms from that group were shortlisted to provide development studies: Hariri Pontarini, Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects of Toronto, and Saucier + Perrotte Architects of Montreal. After further talks with the faculty of law community and the City of Toronto, the three firms' conceptual designs were displayed at an open house in October 2007. The models were kept on display at the faculty throughout the fall and winter. Moran says the law school hopes to have construction underway by 2010, and it's expected to take from 18 to 24 months to complete, although those targets will likely be narrowed down now that the winning firm has been selected. It also will look into whether additional space will be needed during construction. The school's initial estimate of $60 million for the project also could be recalculated at this stage, she says. "This will really, dramatically enhance the space that students learn in and that we teach in," says Moran. "People really have a recognition that this is a project whose time has come." 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