Picture a cloud floating over a rock. This is the design concept behind the Bergeron Centre for Engineering Excellence. It is the home of the Lassonde School of Engineering at York University.
The Bergeron Centre is quite a sight. Its facade features 8,000 triangular metal panels and windows. They are arranged in a mathematically derived pattern. This overlooks the Keele campus.
Douglas and Sandra Bergeron donated $10 million to York University. Their generous gift led to the building being named in their honor. Douglas Bergeron is a York University alumnus. He graduated in 1983 with a degree in Computer Science. He became a successful Silicon Valley entrepreneur.
ZAS Architects + Interiors designed the award-winning building. Laing O’Rourke, a UK-based construction firm, built it in partnership with the Gillam Group.
The cloud represents the learning of knowledge. It floats above the rock. The rock is where ideas become reality. The cloud is the building. The rock is the green roof over the mechanical workshop and team rooms. It also includes the plaza overlooking Stong Pond.
BlogTO named the Bergeron Centre for Engineering Excellence as one of the top buildings in Toronto. It is one of the most architecturally significant buildings on the York University Keele campus.
The Bergeron Centre has five floors including the basement plus a green rooftop terrace. The building’s total area is 169,500 square feet. Its total reinforcement weight is 1,600 tonnes. It includes 10,300 cubic meters of concrete. A mathematician helped create the pattern for the facade. It’s called the Penrose Pattern. The Penrose tiling is an infinite pattern that never repeats.
The Bergeron Centre is unique. It has 18 teaching labs and eight active learning labs. But it has zero lecture halls. The Lassonde School of Engineering wants to “flip the classroom”. They deliver lectures online and focus classes on hands-on learning. Students watch lectures online anywhere and anytime. They come to class to solve problems together in flexible classrooms. These classrooms have the latest technology and furniture.
The Sandbox is a space within the Design Commons. It is on the second floor of the Bergeron Centre. Here students study work on projects and come up with ideas. They test them out through prototyping. The Sandbox encourages a maker culture at Lassonde. It encourages students to explore their ideas in design. Signs say “make something cool” and “prototyping is always a good idea”. The area has meeting spaces for learning and brainstorming. There is also a 3D prototyping lab. Students can bring their projects to life here.
Groundbreaking for the Bergeron Centre took place in June 2013. Construction started in January 2014 and finished in September 2015. It took just 19 months. The Bergeron Centre received LEED Gold accreditation. This recognizes its environmental performance and sustainable design.
The total budget for the Bergeron Centre was $113 million. That includes $15 million for equipment and classroom technology. The Ontario Government contributed $50 million. The Bergeron family donated $10 million. Canadian real estate developer Ignat Kaneff and his family gave $5 million. York University and other philanthropic donations funded the balance. Pierre Lassonde donated $25 million to establish the Lassonde School of Engineering. It also created scholarships for undergraduate students.
The Bergeron Centre for Engineering Excellence aims to instill engineers with entrepreneurialism social conscience and a sense of global citizenship. It embraces 21st-century learning. It provides spaces that are flexible, bold, creative, and collaborative.
Half of the project’s roof is covered with a vegetated green roofing system. This helps diminish the rainwater peak flow rate. The vegetation soaks up rainwater and releases it more slowly than a conventional roof. This reduces the strain on campus and municipal storm water systems.
Inside the building toilets use only 4.8 liters per flush. Urinal flow rates are at 0.5 LPF. The washroom faucets use 1.9 Liters per minute with auto controls. The Bergeron Centre for Engineering Excellence is a place where innovation meets sustainability. It is a testament to the power of vision and collaboration.