The University of Toronto released plans for a 10-storey residence building on Harbord Street earlier this month. If constructed, the building would provide housing for more than 200 graduate students, and expand living, social and study spaces on the university’s St George campus.

The proposed building, which is being designed by Los Angeles-based Michael Maltzan Architecture and Toronto’s architectsAlliance, would feature a mix of dormitory-style and single-occupancy rooms. It would also feature a bridge connecting it to neighbouring Graduate House. The two buildings would share amenities.

The Harbord Street building is yet to be approved by the university’s governing council.

Anne Macdonald, the university’s assistant vice-president of ancillary services, said the proposed building would be a welcome addition to campus.

“We have a ton of demand for graduate student housing. We currently have thousands more applicants every year than we have spaces,” she said. “This is a step in the right direction and will give us more spaces for graduate students who want to live on campus and be a part of campus life.”

The upper levels of the proposed building would consist of residential space and smaller lounge spaces for the exclusive use of residents of both Harbord Residence and Graduate House. The second and third floors would host common lounges, meeting spaces, residence life offices and quiet study rooms. And the ground floor would accommodate a food court and retail space, acting as the interface between the building and the surrounding Huron-Sussex neighbourhood.

“One of the things we wanted the architect to do for us was to have the ground plane be a more welcoming place for the broader community – for our neighbours and other U of T community members to come in,” said Macdonald. “As you go up the building, there are different levels of community-building, with shared spaces and private spaces upstairs.”

The design of study spaces in the building would take into account students’ evolving study habits, with an increased emphasis on rooms that facilitate group work.

“We’ve found over the years that more and more students are doing work in groups, especially graduate and second-entry students, so there’s a need for that. These spaces will be available and shared between Harbord Residence and Graduate House,” Macdonald said.

The proposal is anticipated to enter the university’s governance process in 2020, and follows last year’s announcement of an agreement to build a 23-storey residence tower at the corner of Spadina and Sussex Avenues. That building, which will house over 500 students, is expected to be completed in 2021.