Wildly futuristic flying saucer-style building a step closer to reality in Toronto

A massive flying saucer is set to land in Toronto's Finch and Highway 404 area, one that could become an instant landmark for local educational institution, Seneca Polytechnic.

Seneca has proposed a new three-storey health and wellness centre for its Newnham Campus, planned to offer a mix of recreation, fitness and multi-purpose facilities in a wildly futuristic packaging that will appear as if it just touched down from outer space.

The building planned for 1750 Finch Avenue East was first revealed in 2023, but much has happened in the couple of years since the public got their first glimpse of the impressive proposal.

At the end of March, 2024, Buildings F, G and H at Seneca's Newnham Campus were shuttered, followed by the issuing of demolition permits last December.

A planning application filed in April included just one image of the updated plans for the site, hinting at refinements to the previously announced flying saucer-like design.

The planning update comes roughly two years after DIALOG, in partnership with Two Row Architect, were announced as the winners of a design competition for the new Health & Wellness Centre (HWC) at Seneca.

A planning application seeking Site Plan Control with the City of Toronto submitted this spring advanced the project to its next steps, while also indicating that some changes to the design had been implemented since the 2023 reveal.

Lead architects DIALOG have since provided blogTO with the latest renderings of the design, and it's safe to say that, if built as rendered, this project will be nothing short of show-stopping.

Indigenous design motifs feature prominently in the plans, with the building's saucer-like form inspired by the traditional medicine wheel.

According to documents, the new HWC will be equipped with "ambitious environmental sustainability and resilience measures, including a geo-thermal energy system supplying its heating and cooling and contributing to de-carbonization of the campus."

The new HWC will provide Seneca Polytechnic with 11,344 square metres of institutional space, including a fitness centre, a pair of full-size gyms, collaboration spaces, offices, an event space and a multi-faith spiritual room.