The exciting culmination of a three-phase master plan focused on enriching student experience, the Student Services Hub (SSH) will streamline and enhance the way UTM delivers student services. The new design will not only fulfill the school’s mission to provide a top-tier experience to its diverse population, but also consolidate previously dispersed services into one primary location within the William G. Davis Building.

Housed on the main and second floors, the SSH must also accomplish two additional feats: integrate with the recently renovated Meeting Place to create an inviting convening space, and provide a new “front door” for the campus’s largest and most trafficked building.

In keeping with the master plan’s student-centric objectives, we developed a distinguished architectural and interior design that optimizes function while delivering a destination experience for students who will flock here from all corners of the campus. The renovation project demands a thoughtful approach to ensure that it lifts student services above the ordinary to create a fluent, unified, and efficient experience focused on support and wellness. Following the digital principles of self-navigation and good user experience, the SSH will feature smart spatial organization and intuitive wayfinding, enabling users to locate what they need quickly and easily.

Leveraging synergies with the Meeting Place and adjacent areas, the SSH will also create fresh and flexible new workspace for UTM staff, including offices, meeting rooms, collaboration spaces, and various workspace types. It will also house a variety of student-focused spaces for collaboration, learning, and counselling. 

The addition of a new entrance at the building’s west façade will provide a distinct address and distinguished identity for the SSH. It will also complement UTM’s commitment to offering an “any door is the right door” approach — the collocation of services so that they are more readily available and fulsomely integrated into daily campus life. With a newly defined physical front door, the SSH will be directly connected and visible to existing transit, pedestrian traffic, as well as the Innovation Complex and Office of the Registrar.

Scheduled to open in 2023, the SSH will deliver a functional, fluid, and lively experience that promotes well-being and transforms the way students engage with essential resources at UTM. 

Images: Superkül