It's been almost five years since the last remains of Sam the Record Man were removed from the corner of Yonge and Gould. In the time that's intervened, Ryerson's bright and shiny Student Learning Centre has risen from the ashes. It was difficult to get excited about the building in the immediate aftermath of Sam's demise, but now that it's almost set to open and the iconic record shop sign has finally found a home, it's possible to step back and appreciate this new addition to Yonge St.

Designed by snøhetta in conjunction with Zeidler Partnership Architects, the eight-storey speckled glass building is something of a showstopper, and will help to mark the presence of Ryerson's campus to those travelling along Yonge St. This is one of the nicest academic-focused buildings to arrive in Toronto in years. And with retail at the ground floor, it will benefit more that just university students.

Construction began in 2012 and is just wrapping up now. The entire process was captured on camera, which has now been turned into a timelapse sequence. Have a look at roughly three years of work distilled into two minutes of action.

Lead photo by Vik Pahwa