DESIGN BY JONATHAN KEARNS, PETER NG AND KEN FEINSTEIN
A CULINARY PARADISE
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PHOTO: CHRISTIAN LALONDE, PHOTOLUX COMMERCIAL STUDIO
George Brown College modernizes 16,800 square feet at St. James campus in support of hospitality skills training.
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ituated in the heart of the largest, most vibrant hospitality city in the country, just steps away from Toronto’s top restaurants, hotels and event venues, is George Brown College’s Centre for Hospitality and Culinary Arts. Originally completed 10 years ago, along with the Chef’s House restaurant, the college determined in 2014 that it was time to upgrade the facilities to enhance learning
opportunities for students and provide greater capacity for strengthening Canada’s food and beverage sector. Soon after making the decision, it turned to Kearns Mancini Architects Inc., part of the design team behind the successful 2009 completion, to assist with expansion at 215 King St. East and interior renovation at 290-300 Adelaide St. East. Compass Construction Resources Ltd. was retained as the construction manager and general contractor for the
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George Brown College’s studentrun Chef’s House restaurant was given a refresh as part of the school’s upgrade plans.
projects, completed in 2016 and 2018, respectively. George Brown’s goal was to modernize learning and research spaces specifically designed to support skills training and experiential learning, as well as build on the idea of ‘chefs as celebrities,’ providing patrons a glimpse into the processes and pressures of the culinary world. This required technically and historically sensitive architectural interventions, with the design program eliminating many of the standard classrooms and lounges in favour of custom spaces for hands-on learning. MOVING UP
At 215 King St. East, the Centre for Hospitality and Culinary Arts renovated existing space and expanded its program into the upper floors. Beginning from the bottom-up, a small, underutilized portion of the lower level was transformed into a new private dining area, with additional staging areas for the kitchen. On the ground floor, the studentrun restaurant was refreshed to accommodate a linear bar area with seating at the windows and a specialty bottle display. A utilitarian staircase was replaced with a formal circulation stairwell that guides people through the building and the program on all floors. The second floor now serves as a simulation laboratory, designed