By Alex Latus
Though many projects on campus have just wrapped up, construction continues on others aimed at improving facilities — and building new ones — to keep the University at the forefront of teaching and research.
While new buildings like the STEM Complex and the Learning Centre are taking shape thanks to provincial and federal funding, the University also earmarks a portion of its annual operating budget for infrastructure renewal projects. Regular investments in roofs, roads and buildings ensure that the campus and its facilities stay maintained, reliable and welcoming.
Here’s an overview of current and planned construction this fall.
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190 LAURIER: Repairs planned for the Development Office, a building of historical significance, are being re-evaluated to determine how best to preserve the character of the windows. Stay tuned! |
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ARTS COURT: The University will soon have access to new classrooms as part of a 35-year lease agreement with the City of Ottawa for space in the new Arts Court building. Located opposite Hagen Hall, the new building at 60-70 Waller Street will include a 120-seat black box theatre and four classrooms. Furniture and equipment will start to be moved into the new building in mid-September, with fit-up to continue until the end of the year. |
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D’IORIO: D’Iorio Hall's roof has been replaced, and only finishing touches along the edges remain to be completed. |
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HAGEN: The interior of the service tunnel underneath Hagen Hall has been repaired and now requires a new roof. Reconstruction of the tunnel should be completed by the end of October. |
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LEARNING CENTRE:Construction of the Learning Centre, which will offer modern, interdisciplinary study rooms and a new food service area on the first floor, is ongoing and should be completed in 2018. |
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LED RETROFIT: Facilities is preparing for a campus-wide retrofit of more than 90,000 LED light bulbs, which promises to reduce the energy consumption of our lighting system by roughly 40%. Workers will start changing the bulbs in September. |
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MANN GARAGE: The top level of the Mann parking garage (P4) is exposed to the elements, which prevents year-round parking. The addition of a new roof, which should be completed by the end of October, will eliminate the snow load and provide 90 more parking spaces for use during the winter months. The first three floors will remain open throughout the construction period. |
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MORISSET / UCU: The terrace of Morisset Hall, which serves as a roof to parts of the University Centre, was 44 years old and leaking. Its waterproofing membrane has been replaced and a new terrace, with new landscaping and lighting, built above it. While the project is largely complete, small pockets of work will continue in the area throughout the fall. In particular, the steps leading up to the terrace (opposite Café Nostalgica) and the accessible ramp across from the 90U residence will both be unavailable until the end of September. |
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ROGER GUINDON: With multiple projects planned during 2016-2018, Roger Guindon is a hive of construction activity. Completed so far: renovations of three wet labs (one for the Faculty of Medicine and two for Health Sciences), as well as other infrastructure projects. Construction will continue until February 2018 as the third floor is expanded to accommodate new laboratory spaces for the Faculty of Medicine. |
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SIDEWALK / ASPHALT: The sidewalk and asphalt repairs that were undertaken across campus this summer are complete, with the exception of an area behind Colonel By, which should be finished in September. |
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STEM COMPLEX: Construction is ongoing at the former site of MacDonald Hall and the CUBE building to create a state-of-the-art STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) complex. The new facility will house open-concept teaching labs, multidisciplinary spaces and 3D-printing Makerspaces. The concrete structure was finished in August, and construction should be completed in 2018. |