|
This is an archived story posted by Paul Schreiber. You can view the original
here. UW's School of Architecture's (UWSA) plan to move to Cambridge in two years' time was approved by the Board of Governors last week.
Oskar Ganahl, an Austrian architect, donated 3.5 acres of land on Water Street near Simcoe Street to UW. The City of Cambridge, a group of business leaders known as the Cambridge Campus Consortium and the university will work together to move UWSA to its fourth home in 34 years.
The $30-million project is being funded entirely by sources outside the university. In addition to the private land donation, the Cambridge group will raise the money needed to finance the building and the environmental cleanup of the site. Additional funding will come in the way of the province's municipal SuperBuild grants.
In order to have the 85,000-square-foot building ready for the fall of 2003, work is starting right away. The first stage is an international design competition to design the building, explains UWSA Director Rick Haldenby. The competition, which will be overseen by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, will take approximately eight months. Once the design and architect are selected, construction will take at least a year, Haldenby explained.
Background
UWSA opened on Phillip Street in 1969; two years later, it moved into 419 Phillip Street, where it stayed for a decade. In 1981, they moved into their current location, Enivornmental Studies 2.
Haldenby has been aware of the problems with ES2 for many years. He describes UWSA as "an excellent school" with "very inadequate" space and facilities.
Third-year student Juhee Oh said that ES2 is insufficient facility-wise, stating that the air circulation has numerous problems that haven't been properly addressed. Champika Fernando agreed. "We need a building for sure," she stated, noting that the current computer labs are inadequate.
Student Kyle Sanvictores called the current building "an embarrassment." Work spaces are cramped and there's "no air," he explained. He's depressed about the lack of lounges and student space and the stigma attached to the building.
The one thing that keeps the students here, Oh said, is UW's reputation.
Haldenby agreed with the statements about the air system, describing the process to repair it as "a comedy of errors."
Shortly after becoming Director of UWSA in 1988, Haldenby began working with then-UW president Douglas Wright to find a new location for the UWSA. The search continued under James Downey. Someone from Ariscraft approached Haldenby about moving to Cambridge two years ago, but he didn't think it was feasible at that time.
In the intervening two years, "more walls came up." The SuperBuild fund for universities only offered funding to those seeking to increase undergraduate enrollment, and didn't apply to the UWSA, who want to increase the number of graduate student spots available. No large donation was forthcoming to build new space in Waterloo, despite what Vice President (academic) and Provost Alan George described as "vigorous attempts" to raise funding to improve UWSA's facilities.
When he was approached at a Cambridge Chamber of Commerce meeting last November, Haldenby decided the move "was really worth pursuing." Talks with the university leadership began in earnest.
Approval Process
Haldenby and George described everyone involved as supporting the move. Cambridge Mayor Doug Craig has been "incredibly supportive" and the city staff have been "enthusiastic," Haldenby said.
The move was approved first by the School of Architecture, then the Faculty of Environmental Studies Council, the Deans' Council, the Executive Council, the UW Senate, the Board of Governors' Building and Properties Committee and finally, the Board of Governors itself.
FES council voted unanimously for the move and there were only two dissenters on the Senate, UW's academic governing body, which has 70-80 members. While the exact board vote is confidential, George said that only five or so of the 30 members opposed the move. There were some reservations in principle; several members were "apprehensive about setting a precedent."
Federation of Students President Chris Farley was noncommittal in describing the move. "It's not a good thing, it's not a bad thing," he said. Farley is sure about one thing, however: the move will improve the school and the quality of education.
Cambridge benefits
Haldenby feels that UWSA's presence in Cambridge will benefit the city. The urban setting is a "great location," he added.
George described the move as "bringing a showpiece to the downtown core." Both the vice president and the city hope the addition of UWSA will help rejuvenate the downtown Cambridge core.
The downtown location will be great for the students as well, George added, explaining that the many heritage buildings in Cambridge will be excellent for study by architecture students. In addition, he feels it's a good opportunity to promote the university.
Grad school expanding
A big part of the space crunch comes from the expansion of UWSA's Master's of Architecture program. Starting this year, instead of offering a five-year undergraduate program, UWSA will offer a four-year undergrad program and a 16-month MArch program.
About 60 students are admitted to architecture each year, meaning that there are between 200 and 300 students on campus at any given time. When autumn rolls around, no space will be available for the Master's students. "The space problem was really bad before," Haldenby said. "It's acute now."
By June 2002, he expects to have 80-100 students enrolled in the Master's program. "We will have to find space," he continued. "I'm not sure what to do."
Student life a concern
Students were generally supportive of the move, but all expressed concerns about being disconnected from campus. "There's quite understandably lots of concern," George said.
Mark Cichy, a third-year student in favour of the move, explained that while many students didn't approve and felt it was taking away from the university environment, he believes the university had no other options and "they won't see another offer [like this] for 20 years."
Fernando, who's in first-year architecture, is "basically in favour" of the move. She, too is concerned about "being part of a university" and the ability to choose non-architecture electives.
Haldenby said the school is looking at a variety of options, including offering some of the more popular non-architecture electives at the Cambridge location. Architecture 100 and 276, popular among non Architecture majors, will continue to be offered on the main UW campus. George explained that UW is considering satellite offices for some services. UW will make transit arrangements as well.
George stated UW "will do extraordinary things to ensure the school remains an integral part of the university community."
Farley added that UW is looking at other universities with satellite architecture schools -- such as Laval and Dalhousie -- for ideas. Moving part of the university to another city is "not the ideal situation," but he is confident the necessary services will be provided.
Oh worries about the isolation from the rest of campus that will result from the move. "We're already isolated enough," she said. If the school moves to Cambridge "we'll only see architects."
• Architecture school called city anchor The Record, March 13, 2001
• UW agrees to Cambridge deal DB, March 9, 2001
• Move of UW architecture school wins governors' OK The Record, March 8, 2001
• Skepticism greets UW campus shift The Record, February 7, 2001
• UW satellite campus urged for Galt core The Record, January 12, 2001
• Cambridge hopes to get UW satellite campus The Record, December 20, 2000
|
;){kind=link}
