University of Toronto Breaks Ground on the Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus

Philanthropists and business leaders Gerald Schwartz and Heather Reisman joined University of Toronto President Meric Gertler, Chancellor Rose Patten, Vector Institute President and CEO Garth Gibson and other university and community leaders to break ground on the Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus on College Street on Tuesday.

Designed by WEISS/MANFREDI, the iconic campus will create a new gateway for the university, steps from Queen's Park and at the centre of Ontario's innovation ecosystem.

The striking, glass-clad, 750,000-square-foot complex will anchor U of T's unique cluster of world-leading artificial intelligence scientists and biomedical experts, its world-class entrepreneurship network and the country's largest concentration of student- and faculty-led startups.

The campus will be constructed in two phases over the next few years. The first phase will erect the 12-story west tower, creating 250,000 square feet that will focus on AI and innovation, and provide a new home for the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society and the Vector Institute, as well as other leaders of innovation. The second phase will build the larger, 20-story west tower, which will provide 500,000 square feet of space for life-saving biomedical innovation.

Once complete, the campus will feature vertical gardens, soaring atria and collaborative spaces that promote intellectual exchange and invite the public to take part in events and interact with scholars and innovators. The building's engaging spaces will host thousands of researchers, investors, industry partners and international visitors each year.