Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) has selected Diamond Schmitt to design and plan the university’s new School of Medicine.

Located in Brampton, the facility will transform the former Bramalea Civic Centre into a state-of-the-art medical school that will be home to aspiring medical students and a primary care clinic.

Diamond Schmitt has announced that it has also engaged Two Row Architect, an Indigenous-owned design firm, to consult on the project and to complement the School’s goals of belonging, community and connection to nature.

“Equity, diversity and inclusion and reconciliation will be intentionally infused throughout all facets of the School of Medicine, including its physical environment,” says TMU president and Vice-Chancellor Mohamed Lachemi. “This is the first-ever university building project to integrate TMU’s Indigenous Design Guidelines – developed in consultation with Indigenous community members – in the design process.”

The school will feature functional, flexible and collaborative active learning classrooms, lab and study spaces that will support various modes of pedagogy. A four-storey interconnected atrium at the primary west entrance will welcome students, staff and visitors into a vibrant, inclusive and safe environment where they can interact and engage with one another.

The library will provide quiet individual and group study spaces, and additional learning opportunities outside the classroom. Case-based learning teaching labs, simulation and digital anatomy labs will further bolster TMU’s experiential learning approach for its medical learners.

Other amenities include event, gallery and maker spaces established as central hubs for student activities, and a communal kitchen with a student-run internal herb garden that contributes to well-being. The north wing of the building will house the academic research and administrative offices for faculty and staff, and the south wing of the building is designed as a hub for teaching and learning, anchored by the community clinic on the ground floor that will add healthcare capacity for the community.

“The School of Medicine will serve the Brampton and Peel communities with its many diverse groups of people,” says Dr. Teresa Chan, Dean of the School of Medicine and Vice-President, Medical Affairs. "We are committed to building a space that provides equitable access, safe and inclusive places to gather, and opportunities to learn and engage with the landscape and each other.”

Set to open in September 2025, the project is being designed to LEED standards, repurposing an existing building to reduce the construction footprint and minimize energy and greenhouse gas emissions, with the integration of on-site renewable energy sources.