improvement of neill-wycik college

7/22/2019 Improvement of Neill-Wycik College.

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NEILL \VYCII{ COLLEGE INC.96 GERRARD ST. EAST

TORONTO, ONTARIO M5B lG7


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RESEARCH AND SOLUTION FORIMPROVEMENT OF NEIL-WYCIK COLLEGE

fo rSotery Fi t s i a losProfessorInter ior Design Department

byCatherine BasarabaFourth year studentInter ior Design Department

Ryerson Poly technical Ins t i tu t eToronto, Ontario Canada

April 1979


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EXHIBITSACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

1 INTRODUCTION

2 HISTORYStudentsStudent Co-ops

Campus Co-opHammarskjold HouseEverdale Free SchoolRochdale

3 CASE STUDIESCampus Co-opElrond College Co-op

79

11

1415

1921


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4 NEILL-WYCIK COLLEGE, INCORPORATED

An Educatio nInvolv ementLearn by DoingSta tu sThe SpacePhysical FeaturesColour/Texture

Ill um inati onNoiseHeating

25

2830

The Site 32Physical Envi ronmentCircu lation Transportation Shopping/S ocial Activ ities Inside Neill-Wycik

5 TENTATIVE SOLUTION

Consideratio nsReside nceFill ing th e NeedUni ts Marr ie d Stu dents Hotel

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(

6

7

AimsM ethod Accommodat ionPhysical Requ ir ements Ind iv idual ityAestheticsCommunity Feeling wit hin the Build in gEducati onal AspectsServices and Main te na nce ImprovementsService to Outside Community

SOLUTIONGround FloorBasemen t22nd FloorResi de nce

BIBLIOGRAPHY

4445

5152

555861

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1 Front door of Neill-Wycik College, Toronto2 Perspect ive drawing of th e Ryerson area3 Campus Co-operative Residences house, Toronto4 a) Elrond College, Kingston, Exter iorb) Elrond College, Kingston, In ter ior5 Application to l ive a t Neill-Wycik College6 View of Neill-Wycik College from Gerrard Street7 Floorplan of Residence level8 Siteplan of Neill-Wycik College9 Community Plan10 Traff ic flow diagram, ground level11 a) Room planningb) Room furni turec) Storage space and planning12 Plans

a) Ground f loorb) Basementco) 22nd f loord) Residence13 Space/Rent Analysis Chart

8192122252830323334414243

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Prof. Donald AltmanGeography Departm entRyerson Po ly techn ic a l In s t i tu te Toro nto, Ontario Canada

David ButlerStu dent Housing Depar tm entRye rson Polytechn ica l Ins t i tu te Toronto, Onta ri o Canada

John ClemensGener al Manager, Elrond Co-opKingston, Ontario Canada

Prof. Sote ry F i ts ia lo s Shore Tilbe, Archit ects Toro nto , Ontario Canada

Ted HamnerManager, Nei ll -Wycik Summer Hot el Toronto, Onta ri o Canada

George HumeCampus Planning DepartmentRyerson Poly technica l In s t i tuToronto, Ontario Canada

Jean-Michel Komarnick iGenera l Manager, Campus Co-oToronto, Onta rio Canada

Robert LukerRegis trar, Neill-Wyci k Coll eToro nto, Ontario Canada

Neill WatsonRentals Officer Nei ll -W ycik CollegeToronto, Onta rio Canada


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In the ten years since Neill -Wycik openedthe heavy t r a f f ic has ta ken i t s to l l . Asthe cos ts of upkeep inc rease , l i t t l e funds re mai nfor improvements . Any work contribu ted by membersto th is end i s encouraged and appreciated .To a design s tudent nothing i s more th r i l l in g th anseeing an idea become rea li ty . In 1975 I took theopportunity to make us e of my education by proposinga redecoration of the eleva tor lobby on my floor. This sim ple project had su ch long- lasting positive e ffec ts that I became preoccupie d with id eas forfu r ther improvements. The assi gnment of my majorp ro jec t was the cata lys t to so l id ify some of th eseideas .Designers are taught to examine a to ta l s i tu a tion before suggesting an answer to what may a t f i r s t seean obvio us ques tion . Sin ce I had chosen to examineand redesign the in te r io r myself, the problems werenot c le a r ly la id out and had to be determined. Thiwas , accompli shed by extensive in terv iews with membeand adminstrators of Neill -Wycik and other co-ops,and s ta f f of Ryerson Stu dent Housing and CampusPlanning. oth er information was supplied in writteform, by reports on s tudent housing based on surveycompleted be tween 1965 and 197 2.Fortunate ly almost a 'l l of th e o r ig ina l in s t ig a to rs Nei ll -Wycik were ava ilab le and very recep t ive . Peoassoc ia ted with educationa l in s ti tu t ion s seem genuin te res ted in research and ideas , and enth used to bpart of someone's discovery.

TI


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By th e l a te ' 60 ' s , North America's post-war babieshad grown up . They were such a large segment ofth e population tha t everything seemed to revolvearound gaining the i r approval and endorsement.The students believed themselves to be valuableindividuals an d did not want educat ional ins t i tu t ionsto programme them into a homogenous mass.The Canadian Government made dif feren t at tempts toseem sympathet ic. The Liberal party establ ished th eCompany of Young Canadians in 1965 to encourage soc ia land community development, but dissolved it when th emembers organized pro tes ts and r a l l i e s .As more people at tained work-force age, unemploymentrose. Community colleges appeared to answer th edemand for non-convent ional courses while keeping th estudents occupied.Expo '6 7 became a symbol of youth and Canadian iden t i t

S t u d ~ n t s believed they could do what socie ty expectedof them - to solve Canada's problems with the i rconf idence and vi t a l i ty . While Nixon's e lec t ionpolarized student pol i t i c s in the United Sta tes , Canadians were proud to have th e fashionable Trudeau asa symbol of t he i r youthful a t t i tude . 1


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C ~ m p u ~ Co-op- The f i r s t s tudent co-op in Toronto,Campus Co-op, was bu i l t in 1936 to provide inexpensivehousing fo r students at tending the University ofToronto. Out of economic necess i ty , residents shareddomestic and maintenance dut ies , and l ived in densecondi t ions . As f inancial s i tuat ions improved for theresidents they hired outside help and began to requestmore space and privacy.During the f i f t i e s , co-ed accommodation was not desiredby the s tudents . They were concerned tha t i t woulddis t r ac t them from achieving thei r scholast ic goals.The atmosphere a t Campus Co-op was highly organizedand disc ip l ined . In the s ix t ie s when rea l estate wasinexpensive, the co-op acquired many houses under th emanagement of Howard Adelman. Co-operative CollegeResidences Incorporated (CCRI) was loaned money bythe Federal Government to bui ld new highr ise s tudentco-ops a l l o v e r Ontario. 2

H ~ m m a r s k j 6 1 d House - Hammarskjold House in Waterloo,th e f i r s t highrise s tudent co-op, bui l t in 1965, wasor ig ina l ly a f inanc ia l success . I t was constructedfor $4500 per bed compared to $6,000 to $10,000 fora s tudent residence. This inspi red fai th in futureCCRr projec t s . 3 .Everdale Free School - In 1966, f i f ty miles northwestof Toronto, Everdale Free School was es tabl i shedindependently by a group of committed reformists .


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I t was meant to be a l iv ing/ learn ing exper ience .Students from convent ional systems couldn' t copewith simultaneously t rying to learn and solveeverything.4 Eventually the farm became a communefo r those who simply chose to l ive there.Rochdale - The largest CCRI project was anotherhighr i se on Bloor Street , Toronto: Rochdale College.Rochdale was publicized as an al ternat ive learningenvironment, combining soc ia l and educationala t t r ibu tes . I ts philosophy was to avoid a cent ra l ized authori ty government. But a workableal ternat ive was lacking. This f rus t ra ted th estudents of Ryerson's convent ional system, whoinhabited two f loors of Rochdale's rooms. Severalof them were planning and negotiat ing a new highr isefo r Ryerson, and were determined to learn from whatthey saw as th e weaknesses of th e former ventures. 5Rochdale was soon unable to meet mortgage paymentsto the CMHC. At th rea t of forec losure , th eresidents actual ly assumed squat ters ' r ight s unt i lthey were forced to leave. Ryerson students went tothe new Neill-Wycik bui ld ing . Rochdale ha s now beenrest ructured for another use. 6


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1 Jamieson, George H. T h e B i g ~ e s t House on th e BlockToronto: Neill-Wycik College, 1974, pp. 19,272 Hamner, Ted, Manager, Neill-Wycik Hotel.Personal in terview. 7 December 1978.3 The Bi'g9es t ' House' on th e Block, p. 23 .4 Jamieson, p 475 Hamner, Ted. Personal in terview. 3 January 19796 Hamner, Ted. Personal in terview. 3 January 1979


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Campus Co-operat ive Residences Inc. in Toronto wasestabl ished in 1936. The houses ar e located betweenDupont and Wilcox St ree t s , and Huron and Spadina,grouped in sol id blocks . They provide accommodationfrom September to Apri l for 350 post-secondarys tudents , eighty percent of whom at tend th e Universof Toronto. Students do no t sign a lease , but agreestay fo r at l eas t four-month blocks of time tominimize confus ion. During th e summer, rooms arerented by th e week by graduates an d students to almfu l l capaci ty .Annually, ceRI contr ibutes mil l ion to th e economyin taxes and sa l a r i e s .Students choose from a varie ty of ' d iv is ions ' basedwhether they prefer room and board or to do the i r owcooking. There i s a choice between s ingle or doubleaccommadation.other charac ter i s t ics :

houses in close proximity create the i r own neighbourhoodre s iden ts are s ixty percent male and range in ag efrom 18 to 25 ,house and divis ion duties are mandatory or membeare evictedthere are three fu l l - t ime s ta f f and ca fe te r i a coohouses ar e 80 to 100 years old. Upkeep costs arehigh in recent years, especia l ly fo r maintenance


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and replacement of fu rn itu re a l l rooms are fu rnishedhouses in clude th ree f loors , shared bath roomand kitchen f a c i l i t ie s twenty owned houses and seven ren te d acc ommodat etwe+ve to fourte en studen ts eachren ts remain le s s than conventional apartmentsor residences.

The evolu tion of Campus Co-op para l le ls others in throoms for th ree and four res idents have been .e lim inated double rooms are requested only for financia lreasonssexual segregation has been elim inated cafe te ria s are few. Members prefe r the varie ty of the ir own cooking.co lors chosen for decoratio n have become sub tle .decora tion i s done by studen ts .1


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Elrond College Co-op was bui l t in 1970 to house studenof Queen's Universi ty , which subsidized th e cos t . I tha s the fol lowing charac te r i s t i cs :f i f teen f loors divided into eas t and west areasuni t s varying in s ize from 12-person to onebedroom apar tments , arranged as mul t i - l eve lhouses within a highr ise413 r e s ident s , male and femalefurnished rooms are optionalone cafe ter ia fo r supper only, on an optionalbasisground level i s commercial, including twor e s taurant sa l l members are required to take par t insecur i ty and maintenance dut ie s .

The complex in te r ior layout provides r e l i e f fromconvent ional apartment bu i ld ings .Elrond could not be se l f - suppor t ing . I t does notoperate a summer hotel service due to the undemandingtour i s t t rade in Kingston. Rental ra tes are higherthan older houses which are p len t i fu l an d close toQueen's. The sociologica l impetus fo r co-ops i s notas strong as when Elrond was designed. Students arenow more i nd iv idua l i s t i c and prefer larger ,moreprivate rooms.


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Problems

There i s no la rge common space for -meetings.A grea t deal of space i s used fo r co rr ido rs within un its . Vandalism has increased in recent years.Occupancy has decreased in 1978 as Queen's has notexpan ded and more hous in g has been bu i l t . Elrond 's design i s out of place wit h th

e surroundin glower build ings. Contructio n deta i ls are causing problems such asrain leakage. 2


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FOOTNOTES

1 Komarnicki, Jean-Michel, General Manager,Campus Co-op,Toronto. Telephone in terview.S January 1979.

2 Clemens, John,General Manager, Elrond College,Kingston. Telephone in terview. 10 January 1

Exhibits3 Drawing from brochure supplied by J. Komarnicki,

4a, 4b

Campus Co-op.

Photographs courtesy of Irving Grossman,Archi tec t .


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l1ei(f- W ' ~ c i K Co-oyerdtive ecrreSC. Inc.q0 GelTJra 5 t. E.. Coronto M551G1MEMBERS

Last Harm _ ~ _____ :rnra1 Hare___ ale/F"",le _ _ v:]e_Mdn!s.___________ ity ____ rovincePootsl COde ____ hone____ esired _ in Daote___ -..,.._Dcergency l\ddres8 _________ ity ____ mvince_tal COde ____ cergency Phone_____uni""",ity/Col109" _______ oume_______

or Year in ODuroe~ U o o ________lIB a ....-.ber of Nel.ll-iOjclJt C-qleraUWI O>Uege Inc I agree to B


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g e s t u r e o f c o - o p e r a t i v e spirit. These groups havecome to t h i n k of Ne i l l -Wyc i k members as p o t e n t i a lc o n t r i b u t o r s and c o n s t a n t l y i n v i t e i n v o l v e m e n t .Si nc e one o f th e groups p u b l i s h e s a ne wspa pe r ,members a re gi ve n c o p i e s as a d i r e c t s o u r c e o f i nm a t i o n .Some spa c e i s a l s o e nc oura ge d to be used by Ry e r sThe S o c i a l S e r v i c e s F a c u l t y has run a c o n s u l t a n tagency to p r o v i d e p r a c t i c a l e x p e r i e n c e f o r t h i r dye a r s t u d e n t s .The c a f e t e r i a facility h as been o f f e r e d t o t h eHot e l A d m i n i s t r a t i o n F a c u l t y o f Ryerson fo r a newI n t e r n a t i o n a l Din in g Room l o c a t i o n , b u t has n o t ba c c e p t e d .Learn by Doing -Members o f th e Board o f D i r e c t o r s o r any o f th eCommit tees - Management , E duc a t i on and Ho u s in g ,l e a r n p r a c t i c a l skills su c h a s r e s p o n s i b i l i t y ,d e c i s i o n - m a k i n g , and how to u n d e r s t a n d f i n a n c i a lt e r m s . They a l s o a r e a b l e to make m i s t a k e s and lf rom them.R e s i d e n t s a r e e d u c a t e d i n i n t a n g i b l e ways , whe t hno t t he y a r e i n v o l v e d in government p o s i t i o n s . Gl i v i n g is a difficult s i t u a t i o n fo r most m i d d l e c l a s s s t u d e n t s , demanding many c o m p r o m ise s .


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Hopefu ll y co-operative l iv ing will conti nue to expand in general soc ie ty as people rea lize theeconomic and personal value of sharing. Co-opsare much more workable in a stab le envir onmentth an in a student residence.


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Neill-Wycik was zoned according to the OntarioBuilding Code as an Apartment/Hotel Complex.According to the code,not more tha t f i f ty percentof th e accommodation may be dwell ing uni t s . No oneha s ever opposed th e to ta l occupation of th e buildinyear-round bu t at f i r s t ki tchen f ac i l i t i e s wereincomplete in some uni ts while th e cafe ter ia was inuse.The students who were at t rac ted to l ive thereexpected a s t ra ightforward environment. This wouldf i t in with Ryerson's image of prac t ica l i ty andavoided associa t ion with Rochdale as a radica l , uns

i n s t i t u t i o n . ~Although th e same lack of f inancia l organizat ion thcharacterized student co-ops did manifest i t s e l fwithin th e ear ly years at Neill-Wycik, th e CMHC chono t to foreclose . Instead, th e mortgage paymentswere res t ructured and were able to be met.Anon-prof i t , co-opera t ive building i s no t subject toth e Rent Review Board. Nonetheless, members havevoted to ra i se rents up to 12% per year to covers teadi ly increasing costs of keeping th e buildingup to standard. Original construction problems arenow costing huge sums to be repaired . Inf la t ionha s had th e p o s i t i ~ e ef fec t of helping people acceprent increases even though the mortgage payments ars table . 1The convent ional image of Ryerson Poly technical


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Physical F e a t u r ~ sWith f ront facing south onto Gerrard Stree t , Nei l lWycik i s c lear ly v is ib le from a dis tance on a l l s iddue to the lack of high buildings surrounding i t .mural on the upper west wall is an easy iden t i f ica tmark for s t rangers . A pleasant undulation i s creatby bay windows on th e north, eas t an d south s ides .Of th e 22 s toreys above ground, only th e f i r s t l evdoes not include residence uni t s . I t has commercispace, a cafe te r ia an d the main lobby area . A d m i nt ive off ices , workrooms, and residence rooms arelocated on th e penthouse leve l . The basement incluth e maintenance off ice and various residence f ac i l iBasica l ly th e building i s divided ver t ica l ly intoprivate (apartments, 2-person units) and non-privauni t s (4 ,5 and 6-person uni ts ) . I t is supported bycolumns with concrete walls around elevators an ds ta i rwel ls only.Colour/TextureThe or ig ina l colour scheme was very in tense . I t i sno longer enjoyed by most res idents , as is indica teby th e subtle choices made by them fo r corr idor wain recent years . The des igner ' s motivat ion behindchoice of colours and texture must be to combine hdurabi l i ty with a home-like atmosphere.


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The only i n t e r e s t i ng t e x t u r a l t r e a t me nt occurs in thlobby area .

I l l umina t ionLight ing in the cor r ido rs i s i n su f f i c i en t . Too fewi nc a nde sc e n t f i x t u r e s c r e a t e a depress ing , t unne le f f e c t worsened by i n t e n s e p a i n t c o l ours in t h i s areRoom l i g h t i n g i s more e f f i c i e n t an d p l e a s i n g . Overhf i x t u r e s c a s t ge ne ra l l i g h t while extendable work laca n be placed on desks or bed-ends . Dayl ight i sp l e n t i f u l through l a rge windows in each room.

NoiseNoise i s a s e r i o u s problem fo r s tuden t s working int he i r rooms. Poor ly in su la ted wal l s a re the maincon t r ibu t ing f a c t o r .

HeatingDue to only two zones for t empera ture c o n t r o l (nor than d south s ides ) even hea t i s a problem in the win teE i the r upper f loor s uncomfor tably hot or lowerf loor s sh ive r .


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1HE TIDP ~ y s i c ~ l E n v i i o n m e ~ tNeill-Wycik is located on lo t s 51 an d 52 , plan 203(on the south side of McGill Street) and lo t s 22 ,23,24 an d unnumbered lo t regis tered plan 22A (o n th enorth side of Gerrard Street) of the City of TorontoThe lo t s slope from 313.01 ' a t Gerrard to 319.50' atMcGill.The bui lding i t s e l f i s on a par t of the s i t e tha tr i ses two feet from front to back. I ts southwardor ienta t ion an d lack of lof ty neighbours al lows anunusual amount of su n to reach res idents ins ide . I tlong an d narrow (57' x 157 ') al though the s i t e reachback with an L-shape in to a la rge parking l o t .Original ly planned for a five storey garage, th i s loprovides parking fo r only 35 cars . Heavy t r a f f i c oChurch an d Jarvis s t ree t s 'produces a la rge amount ofnoise. In general , downtown res idents are forced todeal with a great deal of a ir and noise pol lu t ion .To ' the north of Gerrard Street i s a res ident ia l areaolder houses. Many are s t i l l inhabited by fami l ie sSome have recently been renovated an d divided in toapartments.A la rge greenhouse and Allan Gardens are to the easof Jarvis Stree t .


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.. . . , .:~ ) . " .

Circula t ionConcrete and t i l e s idewalks surround the bui ld ing.There is always heavy pedestr ian t r a f f i c between9 a.m. and 1 a.m. on weeknights, and l a t e r onweekend night s . Commercial out le t s on the groundlevel and most residents close enough to the i r schto go home between classes encourage t h i s .Securi ty guards keep th e main building doors lockeaf te r 8 p.m. on weeknights, and a l l weekend days anight s .Transporta t ionVarious modes of Toronto Transi t public t ransportaservice th e res idents . The Greyhound Bus TerminalUnion Stat ion are both within a shor t r ide .Residents with the i r own cars are close to majorroutes leading out of Toronto .

. ..Shopping/Social Act iv i t iesMost s tudents enjoy th e close access to c i ty n ighThere are bars with or without enter ta inment , conhal l s , t hea t r e s , film houses, and Maple Leaf Garda l l within shor t w a ~ k i n g dis tance .There are many varied s tores closeby as well , thourecent ly th e neares t Loblaws grocery store was clo


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Inside Neill-WycikA l imi ted number of working people l ive a t Nei l l -Wycik. Their schedules bas ica l ly take them outs ideof the i r home from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during th e week.Most res idents are s tudents with er ra t i c t imetables ,changing daily, especial ly during the day.Peak periods of t r a f f ic for elevators are any daytimehour on th e hour since th i s is th e time tha t c lassesend at Ryerson.In th e evenings most people go out by 8:30.On residence f loors the heavies t t r a f f ic flow is fromun i t doors to elevator doors, and on th e office levelfrom elevators to the off ice and back again. This . i swhere rent i s paid and mail i s del ivered and sor ted .


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FOOTNOTES---------------------------------------------------------

1 Walker, . Evan . H. , . Consultants Ltd. EFL-CMHC ProjeSt 'ude'nt Housin gStudy . Toronto: . Oct. 1969,

2 Watson, Neil, renta ls of f icer , Neill-Wycik CollegPersonal in terview. 5 December 1978.3 Jamieson, George H. , T h ~ ~ i g g ~ s t House on th e Blo4 Hoeger, Doug, President , Neill-Wycik College.Annual Meeting. 15 September 1978.Exhibits5 Application Form courtesy of Neill-Wycik College6 Photograph cour tes ty of Neill-Wycik Summer Hotel8 Siteplan from drawing supplied by E. Tampold,Archi tec t .


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Demands of th e re s iden ts have changed suf f ic ient lyto warrant pro jec ts such as th e recent in s ta l lmen tof a f loor-use lounge,by members l iv ing on th etwent ieth f loo r . I t was f e l t tha t a . centra l focuswould have a posi t ive e f fec t on th e sense ofcommunity on th e f loor .I t i s general ly accepted tha t people are l imited inth e number of neighbours they can re la te to beforethey lose concern for the i r community. Instead ofasking members to consider the i r home th e ent i r eres idence, i t would be more logica l to cons ider th ef loors as l a t e r a l divis ions and encourage a groupsp i r i t to develop amongst th e 33 people tha toccupy each one. I

Economically and soc ia l ly , it is wise to haves ~ a r e d ea t ing , lounging and washroom f ac i l i t i e s .Although th e propor t ion of male s tudents a t Ryersoni s about s ixty percent , th e pol icy of Neill-Wycikha s always been to provide equal accommodation toboth men and women. I t is also proven tha t co-edunits are quieter and cleaner that segregated ones.Most s tudents in the i r f i r s t and second years atcol lege do not want th e obligat ions of owningfurni ture and signing long-term leases , and dependon other s tudents for support and fr iendship .2


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UnitsIf mult iple units ar e to succeed they should provides ingle rooms large enough to seem comparable to othersava i lab le . The uni t should be arranged in a s imilarway to a house. To encourage good group interac t ionth e number of res idents per uni t must be based on howmany people can know each other reasonably wel l . Tenpeople are to o many to a ll be close yet are notenough to allow th e anonymity to form separate groupswithout offending anyone. 'The uni t should resemble a house in layout . A uni tfor four people would be th e c loses t to the humeenvironment tha t most s tudents are used to . A s inglewashroom would su f f ice in a uni t th i s s i ze , and fourpeople would not be to o many to co-ordinate forshopping, cleaning, meetings and meal-planning. 4By the i r thi rd or fourth year, many s tudents feelready for more pr ivacy, and to inves t in fu rn i tu re anst&y in Toronto during th e summer. Neill-Wycik shouldoffer pxivate, unfurnished accommodation for thoses ingle and married s tudents who wish to remain in th ebui lding.Few Ryerson s tudents need extra bedrooms fo r chi ldrenand would ra the r l i ~ e in conventional apartmentbui ldings than in a s tudent res idence.


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Married StudentsMarried s tudents with chi ldren wi l l be accommodatedby Omnitown. The planners of th i s i1 ighr i se , to beerected next to Neil l -Wycik, will have 20% ofapartments . spec i f ica l ly fo r famil ies , with three andfour bedrooms each.$HotelOf th e 4,000 Ryerson s tudents l iv ing in residencefrom September to Apri l , only 500 to 1000 want to , orare able to find summer employment in Toronto. 6 Ofthese , many s tay in the i r year-round accommodation.Since Ryerson ha s a minimal summer enrollment i t isno t feasible that s tudents could fi l l th e rooms, andNeill-Wycik administ ra tors want to avoid having toaccept ju s t anyone to make up summer r en t s .Most co-ops operate summer hotel operat ions fo r th i sreason. Neill-Wycik 's hotel ha s succeeded in re -ducing loss of summer rents from $74,000 to $20,000while providing f i f ty summer jobs for students . 1Several modif icat ions in th e uni ts would make ~ e i l l -Wycik more desi rable to th e residents and would bebenef icia l to th e hotel operat ion. Air-condit ioning,better noise control , large enough rooms to accommodalarger beds, payphones on more of th e f loor s , carpeton room f loors , and a cozy cen t r a l lounge would a l lmake th e hotel more competi t ive. Casters on roomfurni ture and poured f loors in bathrooms with


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Married StudentsMarried s tudents with chi ldren wi l l be accommodatedby Omnitown. The planners of th i s i1 ighr i se , to beerected next to Neil l -Wycik, will have 20% ofapartments . spec i f ica l ly fo r famil ies , with three andfour bedrooms each.$HotelOf th e 4,000 Ryerson s tudents l iv ing in residencefrom September to Apri l , only 500 to 1000 want to , orare able to find summer employment in Toronto. 6 Ofthese , many s tay in the i r year-round accommodation.Since Ryerson ha s a minimal summer enrollment i t isno t feasible that s tudents could fi l l th e rooms, andNeill-Wycik administ ra tors want to avoid having toaccept ju s t anyone to make up summer r en t s .Most co-ops operate summer hotel operat ions fo r th i sreason. Neill-Wycik 's hotel ha s succeeded in re -ducing loss of summer rents from $74,000 to $20,000while providing f i f ty summer jobs for students . 1Several modif icat ions in th e uni ts would make ~ e i l l -Wycik more desi rable to th e residents and would bebenef icia l to th e hotel operat ion. Air-condit ioning,better noise control , large enough rooms to accommodalarger beds, payphones on more of th e f loor s , carpeton room f loors , and a cozy cen t r a l lounge would a l lmake th e hotel more competi t ive. Casters on roomfurni ture and poured f loors in bathrooms with


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rounded corners would fac i l i t a te c l e a n i n g . ~Tradit ionally only multiple uni ts have been convertedto hotel rooms. Floors used are determined by whichneed major repairs and paint ing. A special s ta f f is. hired to prepare these uni ts fo r th e hotel , therebys ignif icant ly contr ibut ing to the i r upkeep.The five co-op f loors retained for the summer areoften specia l ly requested by res idents who have .shownin te res t in remaining on these f loors en m a s s e . ~

.


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A B,C 8 0 SHOW FOUR E,F, G a H.FURNITURE ARRANGEMENTS FOUR ARRANGC:-FOR THE SANE ROOM. "'ENTS FORMAJOR DIFFICULTY' POOR $AME ROOM,NATURAL LIGHt' FOR THE SQUARE SHAPEDESK. IS LESSADAPTABl TH.lHRECTANGuLARROOhlEEl.SSUA R.

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ROO ... AREA - 124 SQ.FT.fURNITURE - 82 . .ACCESS 82


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WOMEN. MEN.SUITS U SUITS ;,SKIRTS 6 !: SPOR--=rs-COA 'TS 2!:DRESSES 6 ilC Z OVERCOATS 2 ?! zQ QFOR'JAL GOJNS 3 % RAIN COAT I zJACKETS 3 O!. Q BAT .:!_ROBE I ... QOVERCOATS 3 BLAZER -RAIN COATS 2 0 JACKETS 2 0DRESSING GOWNS I TROUSERS ". ;SLIPS 8 '" '"BLOUSES 10 SHIRT" 8SLACKS" 6SWEATERS L WT. 6 SWEATERS 3

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1. To accommodate 650 people, male and female.2. To be t te r sa t is fy th e physical requirementsof th e r es iden t s .3. To allow individual persona l i t i e s to beexpressed.4. To improve building aes the t ic s .5. To increase fee l ing of community on th e f loorl eve l .6. To re inforce th e educational aspects of thecol lege.7. To improve building services and f ac i l i t a t emaintenance.8. To cons ider building improvements that wouldincrease th e competit ive potentia l of th e

summer hotel .9. To continue to provide services fo r th esurrounding community.


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1. Accommodationpopulation should not be reduced

2. Physical Reguirementsenlarge residence roomsdesign mult ip le uni t s to have centredfocusbeds should be larger , a t l eas t in someroomsl imi t mult ip le uni ts to four single roomsincrease amount of uni t s fo r two peopleimprove insulat ion against noise an dcoldprovide a space to supplement rooms as astudy areaprovide a general work space fo r s tudentsto us e fo r projects requir ing a large worksurfacea party/meeting room should be re ta ined,possibly in the lower ground level fo rnoise i n su la t ion .

3. Individual i tydesign rooms " fo r f l exibi l i ty in l ayoutsurface t reatments to accept tape and tacksiden t i f ica t ion system, perhaps fo r room doorspar ts of walls planned to be temporary t ha tmight change every year


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4. A e s t h ~ t i c ~discourage vandalism by choice of mater ialThis inc ludes a combination of mater ialstha t are durable enough to take heavy usebut tha t s t i l l do no t provoke a hardi n s t i t u t i ona l a t t i tude .Special considera t ion-hardware , elevatorsplumbing, doorsimprove i l luminat ion in corr idor areas,examining the poss ib i l i ty of using dayl igh

5. C6mmunity F e ~ l i ~ g w i t h i n the Buildingspor ts ac t iv i t i e s to promote good-naturedcompetit ion between f loorsprovide a common space to each f loor fortha t f loor ' s co l lec t ive us eeducation on conservat ion promoted bymetering of hydro and elec t r ica l consumpticalculated by f loor as competi t ion.

6. Educational Aspectsresource center to provide or ien ta t ioninformation about Toronto an d th e communia directory of personal resources withinth e membership or volunteered from outsideto allow knowledge acquired by students ofth e varied f ie lds to be tapped on a consut a t ion basis


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Perhaps th i s could expand into smallsca le operations year-round to provideprac t ica l learning s i tua t ions fo r s tudentsof d i f fe ren t f ie ldsworkshops on prac t ica l Life Ski l l s , fo rexample: Construction Techniques and HomeMaintenanceNutr i t ional Informationencouraged independence of in terested floorgroups such as th e members of the 20th f loorwho proposed the i r independent budget making.

7. S ~ r v i c e s and Maintenanceimprove secur i ty a t th e uni t l eve l , possiblyusing a cen t ra l ly located loungeprovide some seasonal s torage , fo r bicyclesand moving cra t esheating zones should be sp l i t hor izontal ly tocreate four separa te zones of cont ro lmaintenance must be minimal fo r res idents ,involving only the i r uni tsprovide be t te r communication methods a tground l eve lhave rounded corners on bathroom f loors tof ac i l i t a t e cleaning.

8. Improvementsc o n ~ i d e r insta l lment of ai r -condi t ioningother featu(es in section 2.


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9 . Service to Outs" de Commu"ni tya food co-op to benef i t residents andsurrounding community should be re-establ ishedas a member of the North American StudentCo-operatives Organization, Neill-Wycik shouldcontinue the pol icy of offer ing freeaccommodation to other members' residentst r ave l l ing to Torontoencourage community to us e ou r laundryf ac i l i t i e s which cos t nothing to maintain.Close to th e main floor l eve l would be th e moprac t i ca l loca t ionconsider be t t e r or d i f f e r en t us e of commerciaspace on s t r ee t l eve l .

FOOTNOTES>


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1 Watson, Neil , Rentals Off icer , Neill-Wycik College.Personal interview. 10 January 1979.2 Butler , David, Housing Off icer , Ryerson Poly technica

Ins t i tu te . Telephone interview. 7 December 1973 Butler , David. Telephone interview. 7 December 1974 Watson, Neil . Personal interview. 10 January 1979.5 Watson, Neil . 10 January 1979.6 Butler , David. 7 December 1978.7 Hoeger, Doug, Pres ident , Neill-Wycik College.Annual Meeting. 15 September 1978.8 Hamner, Ted, Manager, Neill-Wycik Summer Hotel.Personal interview. 7 December 1978.9 Luker, Robert, Regis t rar , Neill-Wycik College.Personal interview. 7 December 1978.Exhibitsl la ,b ,c Excerpted from repor t by Walker PlanningConsultants, Toronto.


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At th e t ime when a l l th e fac t s col lec ted in researchhave to become a solut ion, th e designer i s faced withmany quest ions . Which of confl ic t ing opinions isr ight? Have a l l de ta i l s been considered? Have enougquestions been asked? How ca n th e cost of thesechanges be ju s t i f ied?My task was to make optimum us e of a l l spaces and tous e durable, comfortable mater ia ls to provide thebest environment possible fo r th e res idents of Nei l l -Wycik College.In the following sect ion I present my comparative plafo r changes in space organizat ion , according to thefour types of f loors that ex i s t . The sect ion cal led"Residence" i s most complete as th e res idents were myprimary concern. I have included an analysis of rentcosts based on square footage pe r person, and privacyBuilding de ta i l s and f ini shes have been l e f t to aminimum. Although, I have made suggestions for m a t e rand colours . The success of the design would bedetermined by th e res idents themselves in the yearsto come.


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The replanning of the ground floor involved makingbetter us e of one par t icu la r area - th e ca fe te r i a /kitchen f ac i l i ty . (Leases on th e r e t a i l spaces madeit impossible to change them).The ca fe te r ia ha s hardly been used since th ediscontinuation of th e meal-plan years ago, and th ekitchen area i s used during the year to store hotelequipment. Both should be reduced in s ize . Theca fe te r ia could remain only large enough to be usedfor the summer hotel operation. This would allow fo rth e re locat ion of the adjacent re s tau ran t ' s washrooms,allowing th e tenant to improve h is dining room. Amore at t rac t ive r es t au ran t with a d i rec t entrancethrough from th e Neill-Wycik lobby would benef i t "th ehotel operat ion, an d f ac i l i t a t e cater ing of banquetsby th e restauranteur .I f hote l s torage were moved ou t of the k i t c h e n ~ par tof the area could be converted into a laundry. Locatenear th e rear entrance, it would be a source of incometo the bui ld ing and provide a service to the surroundincommunity. The remainder of th e kitchen space couldbecome an educat ional f ac i l i ty fo r use by Ryersonstudents or co-opers .


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Most space in the basement was necessar i ly occupiedby th e Maintenance department, but severa l impor tantchanges have been made to the remaining areas .Three popular f a c i l i t i e s , the sauna, woodshop andphotolab have a l l been increased in s ize .The el iminat ion of a superf lous washroom allowedth e paint storage to be reduced. A display systemfo r building news was an at tempt to humanize th etunnel - l ike corr idor by us e of an undulating wall .To allow for expansion of hote l s torage , th e officespace present ly rented by a community newspaperoperat ion ha s been reduced. The newspaper wil l bese l f - suppor t ing soon and able to move loca t ion . I twas f e l t by th e adminis t ra tors tha t few other tenantswould need this i r regular ly-shaped space.


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exibd


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The major di f f i cul ty in replanning the 22nd f loorwas th e d ive rs i ty of the functions housed there .I t was obvious tha t the r e s ident i a l uni ts did notbelong on the same f loor as the noisy games rooms,laundromat, and adminis t rat ive off ices . Therefore,nine rooms were replaced by a semicircular area ofof f i ces , meeting room, washrooms, lounge and typingroom.The space l e f t vacant by th e of f ices was thenavai lable for educat ional endeavours such as a foodco-op or dr y goods s tore . A movable par t i t ionincreased th e f l ex ib i l i t y of this space. Incorporatedhere would be a more accessable mailbox system whichwould be usefu l for working res idents who havedi f f icul ty reaching home by the end of off ice hours.Adjacent to a reading room and study, a resourcedirectory service with community information couldfunction ef f ic ient ly . The west end of the f loorcontinues to house th e valuable f ac i l i t i e s tha t nowexi s t . The ent i re f loor ha s become a network ofeducational and rec rea t iona l f ac i l i t i e s .


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.Recently the lack of popularity of double roomscaused th e management to consider changing thoserooms to s ingles . This would reduce th e numberof res idents from 33 to 31 pe r f loor , which is th enumber allowed fo r in th is plan.The at tempt was made to provide the variety ofaccommodation necessary to encourage older studentsor graduates to remain in , th e building. Fo r example,th e new bachelor uni t could be rented by graduatesas a private al ternat ive to unit l iv ing. I t wouldalso be a popular uni t for hotel guests.The two-person uni t would continue to house peopleof th e same or opposite sex, in rooms supplied witha bay window.A basic consideration in planning was tha t ofeliminating as much corr idor space as possible in orderto enlarge th e rooms. This was best achieved by p l a c i ~th e one-bedroom apartments behind th e e leva tors wherea corr idor now ex i s t s . Al l of these uni ts includeample s torage, ful l bathrooms and kitchens, and would ~unfurnished, except possibly fo r th e hote l season.The three-person uni t s have th e advantage of requiringonly one t o i l e t , separate from a tu b washroom. Theiroff-cent re shape allowed two important f ac i l i t i e s totake shape: on the north s ide , a common s torage roomfor t runks and bicyc les , and on th e south, a l a rgelounge with a window. The lounge cuts th e longcorr idor and is cent ra l enough to be used by a l l .


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The maximum uni t s i ze , fo r four co-eds, crea tes ahouse-like fee l ing, with room doors around a centralaxis , the lounge. Three and four-person uni t s shouldbe furnished with bed, desk, bookshelves , lamp,drawers , and chair .Al l rooms are s imi la r in s i ze , varying only between110 and 130 square f ee t , compared to th e present96 in some rooms. They ar e shaped to allow f lex i bi l i ty in furni ture layout . They should be equippedwith su f f ic ien t duplex ou t le t s , cables fo r t e levi s ionand educa t iona l mater ia ls , and an intercom system froth e main lobby.Other Recommendations:To f ac i l i t a t e cleaning I recommend that casters bepu t on room furni ture , and that poured f loors replaceth e exis t ing t i l e f loors in bathrooms.To benef i t res idents and hotel quests: windows shoube double-paned, a i r -condi t ioning ins ta l led in th epresent system, and walls properly insula ted agains tnoise .To allow indiv iduals to decorate safely , a velcro walshould be ins ta l led in each room and in the lounge.Each room door should have an ident i fying sign/messagboard/ l ight .Hallways should be f inished in durable vinyl wallcovering and protected by a 4" s t r ip of oak alongmajor walls . The carpeted f loor surface could vary


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.from f loor to f loor by a ser ies of pla in coloursa l te rna t ing dominant ro les in pat te rns toge ther .Tough fibre such as nylon serves well fo r heavyt r a f f i c .Lighting should be both general and t a sk - typein rooms, and sub t le in hal lways, concealed bysuspended sur faces .


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Interviews - Personal

1 Altman, Donald, i n s t ruc to r , Ryerson Poly technicalIns t i tu te . 15 December 1978.2 Kamner, Ted, manager, Neill-Wycik Summer Hotel .

September 1978 - January 1979.3 Luciano, Joe, par tner , New York Pizza Restaurant .15 October 1979.4 Luker, R o b ~ r t , reg is t ra r , Neill-Wycik College.July 1978 - February 1979.5 Snelgrove, David, property manager, College Park.6 January 1979.6 Tsow, David, arch i t ec t , David Tsow & Associates.10 March 1979.7 Watson, Neil , r en ta l s o f f i ce r , Neill-Wycik CollegeJanuary - March 1979 .

. 8 Whelan,Kathleen, adminis t ra tor , Canada World Youth26 June 1978.

Interviews - Telephone

1 Butler , David, of f ice r , Ryerson Student HousingDepartment. December 1978 - January 1979.

. 2 Clemens, John, general manager, Elrond Co-op.


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,:.

5 January 1979.3 Henke, William, specif icat ions architect ,Henke Associates . 10 August 1978.4 Hume, George, campus planner, Ryerson Poly technicalIns t i tu te . December 1978 - January 1979.5 Komarnicki, Jean-Michel, general manager,Campus Co-op. 5 January 1979.6 Tampold, Elmar, architect , Tampold & Wells.October 1978 - March 1979.Periodicals1 The Circui t . Co-op Housing Federat ion of Toronto,September 1978 - February 1979.2 Green, Neville. " I t ' s All Inter ior Space."Canadian Inter iors , Maclean-Hunter, Toronto,August 1974, pp 23 - 28 .3 Johnson, David. "Co-ops Come Cheap in Today'sMarket." Business Week, n.p . , New Jersey ,

12 January 1976, p 86 .4 Schmertz, Michael F. "Ben Weese versus StanleyTigerman: design of two high-r i se apartmenthouses." Archi t ec tu ra l Record, n. p ., New JerseVol. 157, April 1975, pp 83 - 90 .

Reports


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,l,

1 student Services, Ryerson Poly technical Ins t i tute ."The Report of th e Ryerson Housing Committee",March 1973.

2 Ryerson Housing Department, "Survey to studyfeasabi l i ty of highrise accomodation nearRyerson." February, 1973.3 Walker, Evan. H. , Consultants Ltd."Ryerson Poly technical Ins t i tu te : StudentHousing Study", 1968.4 Walker, Evan H."EFL-CMHC Project : Student Housing

S t u d y ~ October 1969.

Books

1 Adelman, Howard. The Beds of Academe.Toronto: James Lewis & Samuel, 1969 . .2 Jamieson, George H. The Biggest House on th e BlockToronto: Neill-Wycik College, 19743 Michaelson, William M. Environmental Choice, HumanBehavior, and Residential Sat isfact ion.

New York: Oxford Universi ty Press, 1977.


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4 Modern Language Association, MLA Handbook forWri ters of Research Papers , Theses andDisser tat ions .New York: Modern Language Association ofAmerica, 1977.

5 Turlman, David, and Edna L. Hebard.Condominiums and Cri-operat ives .Wiley - Interscience, 1970. New York:

improvement of neill-wycik college

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