Architecture alumna brings expertise back to campus

Victoria Lee, Architectural Science ’07, employed her experience as a Ryerson alumna to help shape the future of our campus. As a project coordinator at Ryerson, Lee is overseeing the campus realm renovations that will transform Ryerson’s outdoor spaces – including the recently completed Gould Street and Nelson Mandela Walk. The changes are meant to make the campus more enjoyable and accessible for students and the broader downtown community.

The area around Gould Street was levelled, and a new entrance was created to encourage the use of the space and increase accessibility. Lee hopes that the revitalized pedestrian area will make it easier for students to socialize and host events in the space. “When I was at Ryerson, there weren’t many spaces where my classmates and I could sit and talk outside. To solve this problem, we’ve designed seating areas that will encourage people to relax and converse.”

As part of the next phase of Campus Core Revitalization (CCR), improvements will be made along the southern part of Victoria Street. These will include substantially widening the sidewalk, improving sidewalk safety and accessibility by the parking garage entrance, installing new and improved lighting and adding networking cable ducts to future-proof our campus and provide pathways for improved connectivity.

Nic de Salaberry, director of planning and development at Ryerson Facilities Management and Development, said that engagement from current and former students has been helpful to the project. “It’s attractive to us to have people who understand the student experience,” he said. “We put a very high value on Ryerson grads in our work.”

Students in the Department of Architectural Science have also been involved in the renovations. They created a model of the planned renovation to help facilitate community consultation. 

Lee said that understanding the ways design impacts human behaviour is one of the most important considerations for architecture students and professionals. “Balancing the needs of students and the downtown community in this project is something that’s challenging but rewarding. In the end, I think it will make the campus a more inviting and inclusive place for everyone.”