Deerfield Hall is officially open following a ribbon-cutting ceremony last Monday.
“Deerfield Hall will […] serve as an ideal foundation for new experiences, and of course new memories,” said Principal Deep Saini, who acted as the Master of Ceremonies.
Deerfield Hall is now home of the English and drama department and will provide new theatre space for students. The new four-storey facility is also the new home of the psychology department and the mathematical and computational sciences department.
The new facility is intended to address the growing student population, which is currently approaching 14,000.
The provincial minister of training, colleges, and universities, Reza Moridi, and U of T president Meric Gertler also addressed the crowd.
“It is an important moment in […] UTM’s development as a major comprehensive campus in its own right,” said Gertler.
The facility has several sustainable features and is expected to attain silver LEED credentials.
“Deerfield Hall’s name is in keeping with UTM’s natural settings, its commitment to sustainability, and especially the herd of deer that wander this campus,” said Saini. The name was picked through a naming contest.
The construction began in June 2012, and combined with the renovations to the Davis Building it cost $75 million, of which 70% was funded by the province and the rest by UTM.
Monday’s celebration had a 1960s and 1970s theme, recalling the era when the North Building was built.
The North Building was originally expected to be a temporary facility, but was kept after government funding was slashed for a Davis Building that was planned to be much larger. The North Building is expected to undergo further renovations.
The newly opened Innovation Complex is scheduled to host an invitation-only opening ceremony on November 5.
