SALICK TALHA
ASSISTANT EDITOR
St.James, Waterfront and Casa Loma. These are all the campuses of George Brown. Or is it?
There is a new building at 3 Lower Javis, Toronto, near Waterfront Campus, Daniels building,and soon it is going to be for departments such as: Game Design, Game Programming, Graphic Design, a new program in Front End Development, a new degree in Brand Design Studies and many more.
The Daniels Building opened in May 2019 with summer classes as the building proceeded to completion. In September it was fully operational for the School of Design programs which have all relocated there from 230 Richmond St E.
The new School of Design buildings is not your typical building since it has special galleries to showcase student work and specialized research labs such as a maker lab, motion capture room, user testing lab and AR/VR lab. Classrooms are all located around the perimeter to maximize light. Hallways end with views out to the city so you can tell where you are.
Lab, research and student spaces are in the interior of the building in what is affectionately called The Bean
due to its unusual shape. Ceilings are tall, giving the spaces an airy feel. There are
lots of student rest and study spaces and a large peer tutor area. Perfect for studying!
The building is also part of the Daniels City of the Arts home to many creative employers and to organizations such as Artscape Launchpad, Remix Project. In a few years Toronto’s Waterfront Innovation Centre opens across the street creating further synergies for our students.
Dean of theCentre for Arts & Design, Luigi Ferrara, advice to the incoming design students “to fully take advantage of the three key aspects of our design school, design practice, design thinking and design culture.
With our field education opportunities, our work integrated learning, our state-of-the-art technology and our emphasis on connecting with industry, the school offers an experiential education opportunity that is unparalleled to help students become outstanding design practitioners. Our emphasis on working in interdisciplinary teams through charrettes and working in the community helps students become agile design thinkers.
Lastly, our location in Canada’s leading design community with events like Design TO, cultural institutions like Design Exchange and partnerships with associations like the Registered Graphic
Designers help our students integrate and become a part of the city’s design culture.” Stated Luigi Ferrara.
