Construction is scheduled to begin this spring on phase one of the university's Learning and Innovation Centre.

With $15 million in provincial government funding, the 3,065 square metre facility will go up next to Grant.

Learners, along with faculty members and staff, had an opportunity on Dec. 2, 2008 to participate in a presentation about the planning and development of this important new building - both in person on the Quarterdeck and online via streaming video and a live blog.

“It was a great first step and very positive,” says RRU Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer Dan Tulip. “I was pleased with the number of people who participated and happy to hear their excellent comments, suggestions and questions.”

The Project Team

Tulip opened the two-way information session by introducing the project team which, from RRU, includes Allan Cahoon, President; Steve Grundy, Associate Vice-President and Chief Information Officer; Dan Spinner, Vice-President RRU Foundation and Chief Development Officer; Robert Whitmore, Associate Vice-President, Planning and Site Operations; and Peter Meekison, in his role as Acting Vice-President Academic and Provost along with Jensen Chernoff Thompson architects Russ Chernoff (principal), Sharon Lui, Don Brown and Darrel Jensen. Project Manager is Jean Tetarenko of Durwest Construction and Darcy Kray, also of Durwest Construction, is Construction Manager.

“As an architectural firm, you dream of a project like this,” says Chernoff. “The site is fantastic – it’s got history associated with it which is unique. It’s a great challenge and an opportunity to do something that is important to all of us.”

Chernoff went over the design process for everyone and then noted the project team's five key objectives.

Key Objectives

The Learning and Innovation Centre will be complementary to existing buildings and heritage values.
 
It will act as a gateway to the campus. It will be uplifting and inspiring.

It will adhere to established key sustainability principles including siting, materials, resources, social and economic criteria. And it will be on budget.



Highlights - the outside

Participants learned that access to the new building will integrate seamlessly into the university's existing series of terraces and steps. View lines on campus will be preserved and its central core or axis will, in fact, be strengthened. The current main road – which will retain its appearance as a “country estate lane” – will be moved to the edge of the forest, freeing up a site suitable for development now and into the future. Areas for vehicles will be smaller with more landscaping to create a “parking within a park” look and feel.

Strong central towers, concrete-faced masonry and punched windows that echo some of the design features of Hatley Castle and the Grant building will be given a contemporary treatment and reflected in the exterior of the new building.

While not included in the current design, consideration and some planning have also been given to a bridge that - should funding be made available - would link phase one of the Learning and Innovation Centre to the Grant Building.

Highlights - the inside

The interior will have maximum flexible space to support integrated, interactive learning. How? It will be possible to sub-divide areas, for example, into break-out rooms, offices or smaller, more intimate meeting spaces or combine them into larger areas depending on program requirements.

The building, designed to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) criteria, will be made from materials that are locally-sourced, such as concrete masonry, and materials that have low volatile organic compounds or V.O.C.’s.

Sustainability

Initiatives to ensure the project and its landscaping meet RRU’s sustainability targets will also include storm water treatment, rain gardens and efficient irrigation systems. There will be bicycle lanes and, to control solar radiation, the building will be situated in an east-west orientation.

Three heat sources are being considered – a geothermal heat source, a hybrid aero source heat pump, and a high efficiency natural gas-fired boiler. In addition, a heat recovery system, water conserving plumbing fixtures and energy efficient lighting are all being considered.

It's your turn!

“It was really gratifying to see the obvious interest of the RRU community in this building’s design," says Chernoff. "We learned there are a number of things we now need to study further and report back on.”

It's not too late for alumni and other members of the RRU community to get involved in the discussion that is helping plan RRU’s new academic building. Please consider taking part now in the Campus Progress online forum - a unique opportunity to tell us what you would like to see for the Learning and Innovation Centre. (Note, everyone is welcome to participate in this discussion forum, however you need a research site account to do so. If you are a new user, you will be prompted to create an account when you go to post a comment. This is a quick and easy process!)