Mechanical Engineering Building
| Mechanical Engineering Building | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | 5 King's College Road |
| Year Constructed | 1909 (Thermodynamics Building); 1948 (West Building) |
| Building Code | MC |
| Architects | Darling & Pearson, 1909; Allward & Gouinlock Architects, 1948 |
| Major Offices/Labs | |
| Department of Mechanical Engineering | |
The Mechanical Engineering Building
History
Structure and Architecture
The Mechanical Engineering Building is actually a complex consisting of two interconnected structures in plan with contrasting architectural styles. On the north wing facing the Medical Sciences Building is the original Thermodynamics Building designed by Frank Darling, now forming the laboratory wing. While the original design would have incorporated a western wing in much the same style, when it was ultimately constructed in the 1940s, a new design was used with a more modern style. The building complex was designated as a Heritage Property by the City of Toronto in 1973.
Thermodynamics Building
The original Thermodynamics Building was an important work of architect Frank Darling, and has been described as an "ambitious" work featuring many details. The north face features a series of seven high brick arches filled in with windows looking into the laboratories within. The entrance on the northwest corner of this older half features an intricate doorway composition with detailed stonework. Embedded within the old Thermodynamics Building was a boiler plant, vented by a pair of tall brick chimneys joined at the top.[1] Today it is hidden by new buildings, however it can be seen by the rooftop from higher vantage points such as the upper floors of the adjoining CCBR Building.
West Building
The new Mechanical Engineering Building completed in 1948 was designed by Allward & Gouinlock Architects in the functionalist mid-century style. Some consider it one of Toronto's most significant mid-twentieth-century modern buildings, with influences from the German Bauhaus school and the Dutch de Stijl movement.[1] This portion of the building houses most of the lecture halls, classrooms, shops, offices, and the smaller laboratories.
The exterior walls are made of limestone, with alternating rows of square and rectangular bricks providing subtle contrast. The front face, now the main entrance of the building on the west side facing King's College Road, features a five-storey tower (inside of which is a staircase) dividing the facade into two halves. The tower itself is topped by a stainless steel clock (although in recent years the clock has experienced functionality problems and has been the subject of several grad pranks). The southern half of the building, more plain on the exterior as it lacks exterior windows on the first two storeys, is the site of the larger lecture halls and forms the southern wing. The alleyway on the south leads to a small enclosure formed by the nearby Haultain Building, Rosebrugh Building, and Mining Building and is sometimes used by student design teams.
- ↑ Jump up to: 1.0 1.1 L.W. Richards, The Campus Guide: University of Toronto (Princeton Architectural Press, 2009)