Platform party (at front with shovels) joined by faculty and staff and members of the design and construction teams. Photo by Diana Tyszko.
The revolutionary work being done at the AC will be key in positioning Canada as a world leader in materials discovery, with its state-of-the-art space that will not only house this important work, but also attract top tier talent.
“The AC building represents a new global era where countries are looking inward while at the same time collaborating with each other,” said Aspuru-Guzik. “We’re building a team of people who are going to be able to take advantage of this new space and of the federal grant to move the needle and make Canada the leader in materials discovery.”
The AC also considers and includes contributions from other disciplines of study in its work. “We are very excited that this project is also integrated with Canadian society in such areas as Indigenous scholarship, social sciences, and economics,” said Aspuru-Guzik. “Materials discovery has to do with everything, and impacts society in a very complex way.”
A rendering of the interior of the Lash Miller building expansion. Photo courtesy of Mikkelsen Arkitekter AS / Cumulus Architects.
Anna Kennedy, chair of U of T’s Governing Council, acknowledged the impact the AC has already made at the University. “Since its launch, and under the expert guidance of Alán and other brilliant scholars, the AC has solidified itself as one of the University’s most impressive institutional strategic initiatives (ISI) and as the embodiment of the University of Toronto’s capacity to support large-scale, high-impact interdisciplinary research.”
Woodin also noted the importance of philanthropy in leveraging the historic support from the federal government and investment by industry partners.
“Inspired giving by donors will enable us to build a contemporary space that will attract talent that’s needed to advance the goals of the Acceleration Consortium, which will have major economic benefits for the Greater Toronto Area and for Canada,” said Woodin.
The Lash Miller Building expansion is set to be completed in the spring of 2026. The complex project is being delivered through an integrated design team led by the University’s Planning, Design & Construction (UPDC) portfolio and a collaboration between Canadian firm Cumulus Architects and Danish firm Mikkelsen Architects, among other firms specializing in key areas of the project design and technical specifications. The construction will be completed by Urbacon.
