New Seneca, YorkU facilities designed to meet sustainable LEED Gold standards, EDI principles

Seneca Polytechnic and York University have respectively announced and opened new facilities that are designed with equity, diversity, inclusion, and sustainability principles in mind. YorkU’s newly opened School of Continuing Studies building and Seneca’s planned Health and Wellness Centre are both designed to meet LEED Gold standards with the intent of achieving net zero in the future. YorkU’s building has a twisted design that symbolizes the evolution of postsecondary education and features inclusive design features such as guide rails for students with sight impairment, a lactation room, and a prayer and meditation room. The Seneca Health and Wellness Centre will incorporate Indigenous architectural forms with a design that draws on the medicine wheel and the drum circle. The facility will follow green building practices such as rainwater harvesting, solar energy, and the use of renewable building materials.