Sharp Centre for Design, High-tech education building in downtown Toronto, Canada
An elevated rectangular structure rests on twelve steel supports and displays a black and white checkerboard pattern on its exterior facade at 85 feet (26 meters) above McCaul Street.
Will Alsop designed this expansion for Ontario College of Art and Design University, which opened in 2004 after a three-year construction project that doubled the available campus space.
The facility serves as the primary training ground for design students in the region and influences the city's creative community through public exhibitions and collaborations with local institutions.
Visitors can access ground-floor galleries during operating hours, while academic areas remain restricted to students and faculty. The building sits near St. Patrick subway station for easy transit access.
The construction uses color-coded steel columns, each named after significant figures from the art institution and serving as load-bearing elements for the suspended main body.
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