1 Spadina Crescent, also known as the Daniels Building, is an academic building in Toronto that houses the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design of the University of Toronto. Located on the St. George campus, the building is situated in the centre of a roundabout of Spadina Avenue, north of College Street. Its location provides a picturesque vista looking north up Spadina Avenue; it is an axial view terminus for Spadina Avenue.
thumb|Aerial view showing the original southern portion to the left, and the discordant new north side
History
thumb|North side of 1 Spadina Crescent
thumb|The east side of 1 Spadina Crescent shows both the new addition and the old building
The parcel of land now known as Spadina Crescent first appeared on maps of Toronto as early as 1835, originally named Mansfield's Old Gardens and then Crescent Garden. The property was originally laid out by Dr. William Baldwin to cut through his family's land holdings. There was an intention for the city to turn this property into a park after Dr. Baldwin's death, but the conditions for this were never met, and his grandchildren sold the land in 1873 to the Hon. J. McMurrich of the Presbyterian Church for $10,000. as the home of Knox College, a theological college of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Knox College became affiliated with the University of Toronto in 1887, and it moved to its current location on the west side of King's College Circle in 1914.
During World War I, the building became barracks, and shortly afterward became the Spadina Military Hospital in October 1916.
During the 1960s, it was proposed that this building be demolished to make way for the Spadina Expressway, which was never built. It became an academic building again in 1972 with the sale and relocation of the laboratories. The building was home to the Ontario division of the Eye Bank of Canada and to an alternative U of T student weekly newspaper, The Newspaper, which moved because of renovations.
In January 2001, University of Toronto professor David Buller was murdered in his office within the building, and the case remains unsolved.
In June 2013, U of T announced a significant overhaul and renovation of the building, with plans to make it the new home for the Daniels Faculty of Architecture.
The expanded portion of the building now offers space for design studios, lounges, a student cafe, workshops and fabrication labs. The historic building was sensitively restored and renovated to accommodate the new library, classes and faculty offices. The extensive project received several awards for architectural excellence and was published in magazines around the world.
Interiors
Main Hall
thumb|Main Hall
Formerly the site of the Knox College courtyard, The Main Hall is a double-height lecture hall with bleacher-style seating for lectures, performances, and events of up to 400 people. The hall is adorned with colourful painted plywood walls that add a sense of energy and movement to the space. which "offers a variety of computationally controlled technologies, including large 3-axis and 4-axis routers, a fused deposition modelling rapid-prototyping system, a waterjet cutter, a colour 3D printer, a 3D digitizer, a 3D laser scanner, several laser cutters, and a large format vacuum former." The array of digital tools allow students at the faculty to produce models and various structural elements in wood and metals. The lab is viewable to students and visitors at the building from the east-west "street" that runs through the centre of the building. Double-height garage style doors open to a landscaped courtyard. The library offers an extensive collection of books on architecture, landscape architecture, art, and urban design.
Architecture and Design Gallery
The Architecture and Design Gallery is an experimental public gallery dedicated to showcasing and advocating for the important ways that design shapes our cities, landscapes, and daily lives. Located in the lower level of the building, it was renovated from a "concrete shell" into a 7,500 s.f. exhibition venue after the new building opened in 2017. The space launched on November 9, 2019, with the opening of the inaugural installation New Circadia. The gallery is supported by the Estate of James Drewry Stewart and the Government of Canada.
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The Daniels Building The Student Commons 2022.jpg|Level 1 The Student Commons
The Daniels Building Stair 2022.jpg |Building stair
The Daniels Building Level 2 corridor 2022.jpg |Level 2 corridor
The Daniels Building Eberhard Zeidler Library interior 2022.jpg|Eberhard Zeidler Library interior
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Awards
Architecture Masterprize Education Award, 2019
Architecture Masterprize Green Award, 2019
Architectural Conservancy Ontario, Paul Oberman Award for Adaptive Re-use, 2019
Toronto Urban Design Awards, Award of Excellence, 2019
Heritage Toronto Awards, William Greer Built Heritage Award, 2019
SCUP/AIA-CAE Excellence in Architecture for Building Additions or Adaptive Reuse Honor Award, 2019
COTE Top 10, American Institute of Architects, 2019
AIA Education Facilities National Award of Excellence, 2019
Canadian Society of Landscape Architects National Award, 2019
Lt. Governor's Ontario Heritage Award of Excellence in Conservation, 2018
American Architecture Award, Chicago Athenaeum, 2018
Illinois Institute of Technology College of Architecture, Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize Outstanding Project, 2018
Fast Company Spaces, Places, and Cities Finalist, 2018
Boston Society of Architects Honor Award, 2018
Architect's Newspaper Best of Design Awards Winner in Educational Category and Honorable Mention for Building of the Year, 2018
AIA New York, Architecture Honor Award, 2018
Interior Design Best of Year Award, 2017
The Plan Awards, Honorable Mention, 2017
Canadian Institute of Steel Construction Awards, Award of Excellence, 2017
Society of American Registered Architects National Architecture Award, 2015
Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture & Design: Green Good Design Award, 2014
Holcim Foundation - Sustainability in Architecture Acknowledgment Prize, 2014
Boston Society of Architects: Unbuilt Architecture Award, 2013
57th Progressive Architecture Awards: Award, Architecture (previous site), 2010
See also
- List of University of Toronto buildings