Emily Carr University of Art + Design Redevelopment

operational

Opportunity Emily Carr University of Art + Design (ECUAD) is  an internationally recognized institution of higher learning devoted to excellence and innovation in visual arts, media arts and design. It is one of only four such institutions in Canada. The University, previously located on Granville Island, has more than doubled enrollment since 1996. No longer able to meet the needs of new and emerging program areas the university began searching for a new home. In January 2013, the Province announced funding for the Great Northern Way Campus. Results The new 290,000-square-foot campus has enough space for 1,800 degree students and 3,000 continuing education students. The facilities are almost 40,000-square-feet larger than the university's previous facilities. The campus is purpose-built with state-of-the-art facilities for a variety of disciplines ranging from paintaing and woodworking to 3D printing. The building structure is based on a ten metre by ten metre grid, minimizing the number of internal structural supports and providing ECUAD with the freedom to reconfigure program space as needed. Reflecting B.C.’s Wood First Act, Applied Arts Partners’ design incorporates wood, adding warmth and character to the building. The new campus has been constructed to attain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification and includes sharing of energy benefits and costs, enforced by significant penalties for non-compliance. The new campus is closer to residential areas of the City where students, faculty, and staff reside, and is more accessible to major transit lines than the University’s previous location. This will create new opportunities to connect home and school, including encouraging participation in evening and wekend activities.

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