The Sandford Fleming Building, also known as SF, is the heart of engineering student life on campus.
SF is a multi-faceted building. The basement is the hub of engineering student life on campus and is home to “The Pit” (not to be confused with The Pitt). The first floor has lecture halls and the Engineering Computing Facility (ECF Labs), while the second floor has tutorial rooms and the Engineering and Computer Science Library, which will be useful for many of your research needs.
Notable Classrooms
SF1105
Sandford Fleming houses the SF1105 lecture hall, which is where CIV102 lectures are often held. Professor Bentz, who teaches CIV102, uses the lecture hall as an example when discussing static structures in his lectures.
Engineering Computing Facility (ECF)
There are two Linux ECF labs located on the first floor of SF, close to GB. You’ll most likely have your ESC180 and ESC190 practicals in these labs.
Study Spaces
The Engineering & Computer Science Library is the second-largest science library at U of T after Robarts and primarily serves Skule™ students.
This library is located on the third floor of the Sanford Fleming Building and is a nice, quiet place to study. The library’s services are a great research tool for all your courses in first year and beyond. You may even spend one of your ESC101 tutorials in this library.
Get to know the librarians! They’re very knowledgeable about different academic topics, not to mention research techniques. They’re always willing to hear about your project and help you figure out how to find the resources you need. You can also access their materials and chat with librarians online. This will be super useful for Praxis courses and design teams.
The Pit is in the SF basement, and it’s exactly what it sounds like: a sort of lowered platform floor level with lots of places to sit, work, and hang out. It has been under renovations, but you will be among the lucky students who will get to enjoy the brand new renovation when it opens. The Hard Hat Cafe and Veda Takeout (explained more in detail later) are both located in the Pit. During the year, the Pit is the site of numerous events. Surrounding the Pit are lots of tables and benches, as well as many student-run services. There is also beautiful artwork painted on the walls by past engineering students.
Nearby Food Spots
Hard Hat Café is a fully student operated and staffed food store conveniently located in the Pit. They sell lots of snacks from around the world, along with pizza, drinks, cookies, donuts, and other small meal items. It’s typically open during class hours, and they offer a daily discount deal.
The other food option located around the Pit is Veda. It is an Indian-inspired takeout place which has popular curry bowls, rice, naanzas, samosas, spring rolls, and more. They also sell coffee, salads, burgers, bagels, and other staple food-court food items (shout out chicken nuggets). Veda closes later than the Hard Hat Café, making it a perfect spot for an afternoon snack or dinner!
Notable Facilities & Institutes
The U of T Engineering Society, better known as EngSoc, is the student government at the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. They run many academic-focused student services, in addition to planning and hosting lots of fun events that bring the student community together throughout the year. There are many positions within EngSoc. You can get involved as early as the beginning of first year, so check out their website and learn how!
Located next to the EngSoc office is the Engineering Store, which sells textbooks, stationery, and engineering merchandise. You can buy merchandise for every discipline; this is a great way of showing your EngSci pride! The Engineering Store sells textbook bundles for every discipline in first year at a discount when compared to buying them all individually at the U of T Bookstore. They also sell traditional engineering clothing items like leather jackets and coveralls (a.k.a. “covvies”), which you can purchase later in your EngSci degree. As you have probably noticed by now, Skule™ has a vibrant community filled with fun events and traditions, and every year all these memories are captured in a yearbook – which you can buy at the Engineering Stores.
The Lady Godiva Memorial Bnad, also known as the LGMB, is Skule™’s student-run band. All engineering students can join the band at any time and go to as many of their performances as they would like.
There are so many potential “instruments” that you can play as a member of the band (like a stop sign), so you don’t need to have skills with an instrument. You will first meet the band during Frosh Week; this will be your first opportunity to join them.
And, yes, the misspelled name of this group is intentional. 😀
- Address: 10 King’s College Rd, Toronto, ON M5S 3G4
- Closest Subway Station(s): Queen’s Park
- Types of Classes Held: Lectures, Tutorials, Practicals
- Building Facilities: Engineering and Computer Science Library, ECF Computer Labs, etc.
- Important Offices: Engineering Society Office, Engineering Stores etc.