Rethinking the Bissell Building

The plans were discovered deep in the bowels of the Faculty of Information. They show a Bissell Building with windows where there are now concrete slabs, a front entrance with a courtyard at the northeast corner, and fourth floor access to the Robarts building. But somewhere along the way, for reasons that no one can recall, these original building plans were changed. Now, with the entire Bissell Building being reimagined, everything old is new again.  
 
The first big step on the road to change was the extensive renovation of the Inforum (now known as the Learning Hub) in 2016. Then a master plan for the revitalization of the Faculty of Information was drawn up and the superkül architectural firm was hired to carry out a feasibility study. Among other things, the architects are looking at the possibilities of removing concrete panels and replacing them with windows to let in more light, creating a new front entrance on Sussex Avenue, and locating a Museum Studies exhibition space on a redesigned first floor. 

As part of the planning, the Faculty invited superkül to host what’s known as a design charrette. In April 2018, students, staff and faculty came together to discuss their relationships with the brutalist Bissell Building—everything from the amount of time they spend within its concrete walls to the way they interact with each space.  

By reimagining the space, the architects hope not only to make it more welcoming and intuitive but also to provide the Faculty with better visibility. One of the Bissell Building’s current problems is that it has no obvious front door, leading to both a lack of identity and a stream of lost looking visitors. 

“The best design comes out of collaboration,” said Meg Graham, one of the principals of superkül and a leader of the design charrette. “We may know more about the mechanical systems at this point, but we want to see how you use the space.”  

Her colleague Andre D’Elia, also a superkül principal, chimed in, “You’re the ones who spend the most time here—you know the building better than we do so we’re trying to extract that information.”  

The Brutalist style of the building kept coming up. “I’m not crazy about this type of architecture, but it’s part of the history … I think it’s good to keep as a souvenir of the era,” said one student.  

“I think [the Bissell Building] is so interesting and dynamic, and I want to love it,” said another student. “It’s just so uninviting. We should design it so we want to explore the building.”  

After the opening discussion forum, participants split into two groups. They were presented with photographs of different spaces and asked to prioritize and describe the images based on their impressions. 

From there, they used existing floorplans to sketch out new features and propose and present redesigns. When framing their ideas, the students cited the Faculty’s reputation as being a space of innovation and for connection. Both groups proposed a more welcoming main entrance with more signage, a community hub, and exhibition space.  

In terms of their role, the superkül architects see themselves at the intersection between vision and logistics. “We work as a group in our office – we’ll go back and discuss what we feel came out of this, extract key issues, problems and how to deal with that,” said D’Elia. “It’s a balancing act between the university and the student perspective. We’re not rigid. It’s a process to extract a vision out of this.”  

According to Graham, “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to manifest the school’s mission and transformation, reinforcing the Faculty of Information’s values.”  

Update, February 2024: Post-pandemic, the plans for the Bissell Building renovation are moving forward.