By Jerry Zhang
O’Keefe House at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) closed its doors last week as construction began on the new Student Wellbeing Centre. This project will create a new facility designed to centralize health and wellness services for students.
The new eight-storey building is set to rise at 137 Bond St. as part of the university’s campus master plan’s broader commitment to student well-being and campus modernization.
TMU president and vice-chancellor Mohamed Lachemi expressed in an interview that the goal of expected completion is still December 2026.
The project, led by Hariri Pontarini Architects, will feature a modern, multi-storey structure housing mental health, medical and wellness services.
The new centre aims to streamline student support services, eliminating the need for students to visit multiple locations across campus.
“The new facility will consolidate all health services currently housed in buildings across campus under one roof to improve access and service delivery,” according to TMU’s Facilities Management and Development office project page.
“It is everything in one place. If you don’t know where to go or where to start, we’re going to help you figure it out,” said vice-provost, students Jen McMillen in a TorontoMet Today article.
The Student Wellbeing Centre is part of TMU’s efforts to modernize infrastructure and enhance accessibility to essential student services.
“This building is designed to allow students to build on their strengths,” McMillen added in the article. “It’s incumbent upon us as the university to help students make connections to what services and programs can support them.”
The site housed O’Keefe House, a former student residence with deep historical ties to Toronto’s past. According to the O’Keefe House Alumni Association homepage from 2014, it was built in 1875. It initially served as a family home before being converted into the only student residence for TMU in 1963 until the construction of Pitman Hall in 1991.
In a 2013 Student Housing Service blog post titled Find the Right Fit, O’Keefe House was described as “the perfect home away from home.” The post also praised the residence, stating, “O’Keefe House may be our smallest residence, but it arguably has the most heart.”
Tess Roorda, a first-year psychology student at TMU, believes the renovations will be beneficial in the long run but hopes the historical integrity of O’Keefe House is maintained.
“I think that there is value in preserving historical architecture on campus…I don’t want to see the building being altered too drastically,” she said.
According to an email announcement from Erin MacDonald, Alumni Relations Officer, the university formally decommissioned O’Keefe House in 2018. The announcement said that its aging infrastructure was no longer sustainable or viable for use as a residence.
Currently, O’Keefe House has not been in use since 2018 due to its extensive repairs. Despite its closure, TMU has emphasized preserving the building’s historical elements as part of the new development in the project statement.
Nazia Aftab, an associate partner at Hariri Pontarini Architects, explained in an email statement to The Eyeopener that the Student Wellbeing Centre was designed with a strong focus on sustainability, accessibility and student wellness.
The firm incorporated Fitwel 2.0 Certification standards, which focus on comfort and a healthy environment. The developments will align with the centre’s purpose as a space for wellness and community.
Aftab said. “Fitwel is a healthy building certification that focuses on comfort and creating a healthy environment for occupants and the building itself. The ethos of the certification is in keeping with the Student Wellbeing Centre as a place of wellness and community.”
Aftab explained the design prioritizes natural materials—particularly mass timber construction—alongside green roofs and extensive natural light in public spaces. Office spaces will have controlled lighting to reduce solar heat gain, shading and privacy while maintaining views of the TMU campus.
The heritage of the O’Keefe house will be preserved and seamlessly integrated into the modern structure, she expressed. “The north and west facades of the historic structure will remain largely unchanged,” Aftab noted.
She added “We are introducing a new front entrance on Gould Street to make access more welcoming from this pedestrianized street. The eight-storey tower, with a separate, more private entrance on Bond Street, wraps around the heritage building like a warm hug, allowing the historic facades to breathe.”
The project also incorporates Indigenous placemaking, developed in collaboration with Matthew Hickey* of Two Row Architectures. The design process includes talking circles with user groups to ensure the space reflects Indigenous representations on campus.
“We identified an opportunity for a significant Indigenous art installation on the east facade of the building and are working with Two Row to develop an installation integral to the architecture,” she said.
According to a September 2022 board meeting package, the building will house Academic Accommodation Support, the Centre for Student Development and Counselling, Consent Comes First, the Health Promotion Program, the Medical Centre, Thriving Innovations and the Tri-Mentoring Program on various floors.
Roorda supports the idea of streamlining services into a central location, increasing its accessibility to students.
“I think a lot of students aren’t super informed about the mental health and physical health resources on campus. So putting it right in the centre will draw more attention to those resources and make them more accessible,” she expressed.
The building’s design balances privacy and openness, allowing students to seek support without stigma. “There will also be alternative entrances for students who may desire more privacy or who have accessibility or mobility needs,” according to the package.
Aftab noted the construction commences this Spring and will take two years to complete.
TMU is currently preparing the site for the partial demolition and renovation of the O’Keefe House. More information on the groundbreaking will be provided once available, according to an email statement.
*Correction: A previous version of this story in print included misspelled versions of a source’s name. The story has now been updated with the correct spelling.
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