UTM holds groundbreaking ceremony for new campus residence
On July 24, campus staff, including Alexandra Gillespie, University of Toronto Mississauga’s (UTM) vice president and principal, participated in a groundbreaking event which marked the ceremonial launch of the campus’s new residence. The residence, set to open in 2026, will be UTM’s newest residence since the opening of Oscar Peterson Hall (OPH) in 2007. The new building will be located next to OPH, northwest of Residence Road.
The residence project is part of a tri-campus initiative which serves the growing need for more student housing, ultimately adding 1,446 more spaces within the next three years. Brian Cunha, the director of student housing and residence describes how this new project will impact University of Toronto (U of T) students, stating, “Supporting our students is always our goal, and this new residence will help foster student success by enhancing the overall experience and encouraging collaboration and a sense of belonging on campus.”
The new residence at UTM will include 115 single bedrooms and 135 double bedrooms as well as 15 bedrooms for residence support staff. Boasting an area of 116,560 square feet, the space will offer study spaces, lounges, laundry facilities, and areas for social programs alongside a music and meeting room. With 400 beds, the residence will increase the campus’s potential to provide housing for 1,900 students.
In the last 20 years, housing costs have risen 375 per cent in Canada causing prices in Toronto to go up by 450 per cent. Dean of Student Affairs and Assistant Principal of Student Services Mark Overton stated in a presentation to the UTM Campus Affairs Committee that students are expressing a growing demand for on-campus housing as off-campus housing in Mississauga has become limited due to the city’s rising rates in rent and declining vacancy in the Greater Toronto Area.
The building also seeks to promote long-term environmental sustainability as its blueprints have implemented eco-smart systems such as solar panels, smart lighting, and water-efficient fixtures.
The residence will be designed by Toronto-based architect Montgomery Sisam and Denmark-based firm Christensen & Co. Architects. The firm’s portfolio includes projects like the Sheridan College Hazel McCallion Campus in Mississauga, U of T Innis College, and U of T Koffler Scientific Reserve.
This new residence is not the end of development at UTM as the project is part of a larger UTM initiative known as the 2021 UTM Campus Master Plan, which will feature an outdoor campus commons, cycling infrastructure, and the construction of a new building and plaza near the Academic Annex.
With many developments across U of T, both current and incoming students have a lot to look forward to.
