Waterfront Campus expansion — a new home for the School of Design

Daniels City of the Arts complex exterior

George Brown College’s School of Design relocated to a new state-of-the-art facility in 2019. Located within the Daniels Waterfront—City of the Arts complex at Queens Quay East and Jarvis Street, our School of Design’s new home expands our Waterfront Campus, and is immersed in a vibrant, mixed use community.

The modern space is about much more than classrooms and lecture halls—it offers hands-on collaborative working spaces and labs developed to encourage students and industry partners to push the boundaries of design and user experience.

Learn about School of Design programs

Adapting, evolving and succeeding in the age of digital disruption

103,000 square feet

103,000 square feet of collaborative learning and working space.

1,800 students

1,800 students will train at the School of Design at Waterfront Campus each year.

650 graduates

Approximately 650 highly skilled and future-ready graduates per year.

The School of Design aims to help address critical skills shortages in industries that require design thinking and IT-enabled business models that are customer-centric and prioritize user experience and design.

Students, faculty and industry connect and collaborate in this multi-purpose facility.

The Innovation Exchange (IX)

The IX is a hub for specialized research, innovation and training to help businesses adapt to digital disruption and the smart economy. It includes the following facilities and services:

  • Digital Media & Gaming Incubator to encourage startups to create new design-driven products and services.
  • The Future Ways of Living Lab to advance sector-specific applied research.
  • Specialized labs including a usability testing lab, augmented and virtual reality lab, and a maker space.
  • Training and certification programs for industry professionals.

Location

We’re excited to continue our role in the revitalization of the East Bayfront neighbourhood. The School of Design shares space at the Daniels Waterfront—City of the Arts complex with Artscape Daniels Launchpad, OCAD University and other creative organizations. The complex, a mixed-use commercial, industrial and residential project, is located down the street from the Daphne Cockwell Centre for Health Sciences at the Waterfront Campus, which opened in 2012.

Our student residence, The George, is located a short transit trip away and construction of another Waterfront Campus expansion is slated to start in 2021—our tall-wood building, Limberlost Place.

Our expanded Waterfront Campus is also located near other significant developments including Alphabet’s Sidewalk Toronto and the Waterfront Innovation Centre.

HXOUSE

George Brown College partnered with HXOUSE, an arts and design hub started by La Mar Taylor, creative director for Toronto-born singer The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye) and the XO brand, to offer the No More Dreams program. It’s an effort to encourage young local artists to stay in Toronto to build their careers and businesses. The one-day, one-week and multi-week programs run out of Artscape Daniels Launchpad, also located in the Daniels Waterfront—City of the Arts complex.

Learn more about HXOUSE