An Update on the Innis Renewal and Expansion Project
If you have, at any point in the past two years, walked past the intersection of St George Street and Sussex Avenue, you have no doubt noticed the construction site that has shaped up, with its trucks and workers milling around the area. If you are a member of Innis College, a non-Innis U of T student who has had a class in the building, or even a visitor who attended an event at Innis Town Hall, you are also likely aware that a large part of the building—the entirety of the west wing, notably—has been closed off to the public for a while. And if you had a need to go between mid-November and the beginning of this month while in the building, and naively headed towards the stalls the first time, you probably realized that access to the basement had been temporarily blocked off.

These developments are all the result of the Innis College Renewal and Expansion project, an exciting, substantial transformation of the College’s home building at 2 Sussex Avenue. First envisioned in early 2017, the expansion’s design was finalized in 2022, before construction activity began in August 2023. The Innis Herald has covered the development of the project in April 2023 (Volume 58, Issue 4), and later on in November 2024 on the Innis Herald Podcast, in a conversation with the College’s Associate Director of Advancement Megan McDonald. Since then, the new building has continued to take on a more concrete form, with a tentative completion date set for Fall 2026, followed by a gradual public opening of spaces over the following months, concluding in January 2027.

Some significant features of the renewed and expanded College include large work, study, and event spaces for the whole community; improved first-floor circulation through a reconfigured circulation plan; and new student spaces, including a commuter lounge, an expanded Innis Café, kitchenettes, a rooftop lounge, and an outdoor terrace. The building will be organized around the courtyard (or Innis Green), which will be transformed into a pleasant, landscaped area, overlooked by the study windows on multiple floors. The library will also be moved from its current, restricted location, to a larger and more accessible space, increasing both seating and services available.

Our very own Bianca Mehrotra acts as an Innis College Ambassador, a crucial role for sharing information about the project and its impacts across the community. In this position, reflective of the student body’s involvement since the start of the project, she has had the chance to both witness its development and contribute to communication and outreach initiatives. For instance, a Q&A and information session took place on January 23, where Student Ambassadors were available to answer Innis students and staff’s inquiries. The event also included a giveaway for a free tour of the construction site. Bianca tells the Herald that she and the other Ambassadors had the opportunity to visit the site themselves alongside Staff Representatives to sign the wall of the new building—her favourite memory from taking on the role so far. “Knowing that our names and contributions are quite literally embedded into the space made the expansion feel more personal, not just something happening around us, but something we helped shape for future Innis students,” she says.

The project comes at a critical time in Innis College’s history. The original building, designed to host around 800 students—a far cry from our current community of over 2200!—has reached its maximum capacity. Much like in the late 60s when plans for the construction of the current College’s building began because Innis’ first home, affectionately baptized “the biscuit box” and “the fish bowl,” could no longer accommodate its growing population, the College now finds itself at similar crossroads. After 50 years in its current home—which opened exactly five decades ago, in 1976—it is once again time to address issues of overcrowding and limited shared space, while also considering how to better integrate the Innis community on campus at large.

Two major axes jump out as priorities in 2 Sussex’s new design, which will expand the building by about 60 per cent of its current footprint. First, the issue of accessibility is a guiding principle in the new building’s features and configuration. Aside from the library’s improved layout, an entirely accessible entrance will be opened on the Sussex Avenue side, while a new elevator in the west wing will serve all floors, including the link to the east wing. On the other hand is inclusivity. As a commuter student herself, Bianca points out how “having access to a dedicated student lounge with a full kitchenette will make it much easier to spend [her] long days on campus without constantly needing to leave or rely on other buildings.” She also emphasizes the importance of an enhanced study space in the form of the new library, and the calm relaxation areas the terrace and new Innis Green will provide, particularly for those who do not live in residence. For a college where commuters constitute almost 80 per cent of the student population, these new features will be invaluable in making Innis more inviting and functional for all.

Updates and highlights about the project are continually shared on Innis College’s Instagram page. For information or inquiries, reaching out to the Ambassadors there through direct message or contacting the college staff are typically the best places to start. Check out the dedicated page on the Innis College website (https://innis.utoronto.ca/about-innis/project-updates/) for contact information as well as the latest news. In the meantime, (re-)read Rhea Gosain’s previous informative update on the project (https://theinnisherald.com/renewal-project), James Chaplain’s detailed account of Innisian spirit throughout the College’s history, which we hope to see carry on and bloom in our new home (https://theinnisherald.com/an-ode-to-innis-college), and listen to the aforementioned podcast episode, available on all streaming platforms!

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