OCAD UNIVERSITY (the Ontario College of
Art and Design University) is well-known as
Canada’s largest and – at 142 years of age –
oldest educational institution for art and
design, but architecturally it will be most likely
recognised for its distinctive Sharp Centre for
Design, the award-winning building by British
architect Will Alsop in collaboration with
Robbie/Young + Wright Architects. It is
colloquially referred to as ‘the tabletop’ for its
rectangular form balanced high up on legs
above a park, and while critics at the time of its
construction in 2004 believed it would soon be
dated, 15 years after its completion it is still
celebrated as a highlight in Toronto’s relatively
uniform built environment. It is this ethos andlegacy of innovation in design that the
university desires to take into its new business
venture: its creative innovation and training
space OCAD U CO. While the building housing
OCAD U CO is part of the mixed-use
development Daniels Waterfront that does
not have any architectural link to the Sharp
Centre, interior designers Quadrangle