York University In Toronto Expands With A 10-Story New-Build

York University, one of Canada’s largest, is a public research institution in Toronto known for its commitment to social justice, diversity, and equity. Late last year, the school expanded its footprint approximately 20 miles northeast with the Markham Campus building, a 10-story new-build by Toronto architecture firm and longtime collaborator Diamond Schmitt. An academic building focused on technology, entrepreneurship, and experiential learning, its 400,000 square feet able to accommodate 4,000 students, it’s phase one of the satellite location intended to serve the region’s rapidly growing population.

“Because it’s such a compact site, we worked hard to create a vertical space that still feels collegial and communal,” principal Donald Schmitt says. And innovative, which is evident upon encountering the exterior, wrapped in bronzed aluminum panels that reflect sunlight throughout the day. Curved glazing and organically shaped skylights bring that sunshine inside, where a diverse cluster of programs—lecture halls, labs, and lounges for classes ranging from engineering and financial technologies to sports management—is organized around a curvilinear spine that weaves seating and visual connection throughout the first five floors. At ground level, a soaring atrium is the building’s social heart, where a sculptural stair in Jura Grey limestone and interlaced commons form what Schmitt describes as a “vertical quadrangle,” a stacked, light-filled reinterpretation of a traditional campus quad.

Tour The York University Markham Campus Building

Sustainability and inclusivity are evident throughout. Quarter-cut white oak details soften the envelope of polished concrete, epoxy terrazzo, and glass. Felt ceiling panels and recycled-content carpet tile in gray and York red—go Lions!—help with acoustics. Desks are height-adjustable, tiered lecture halls have ramp access, and signage is Braille. Outside, the three-level campus green is a serendipitous solution to poor soil conditions. Diamond Schmitt transformed the grounds into terraced spaces—including an Indigenous talking circle—connected by gently sloping pathways.

The tower, where departments are mixed throughout to encourage interdisciplinary interaction, balances specificity with flexibility. Levels nine and 10 remain shelled for future growth, while modular classrooms, an experiential education suite, and integrated assistive listening systems support evolving needs, offering students an inspirational academic home shaped by daylight, movement, and sensitivity.

Class Is In Session At This York University Markham Campus Building

FROM FRONT
STEELCASE: TABLES (ATRIUM). ANTAMEX INDUSTRIES: FACADE PANELS, WINDOW MULLIONS (EXTERIOR). PPG INDUSTRIES: PANEL COATING. MAXXIT GROUP: CEILING BAFFLES (LOUNGE). INTERFACE: CARPET TILE.
THROUGHOUT HERMAN MILLER; TEKNION: CHAIRS. CORIAN; KRION: SOLID SURFACING. CHERRY FOREST VENEERS: VENEER. C.R. LAURENCE CO.: CUSTOM GLAZING SYSTEM. SMITH + ANDERSEN: LIGHTING CONSULTANT, MEP. RJC ENGINEERS: STRUCTURAL ENGINEER. STANTEC: CIVIL ENGINEER. ALLWOOD CARPENTRY MANUFACTURING: MILLWORK. STUART OLSON: GENERAL CONTRACTOR.