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Nearly 20,000 students attend MacEwan University in Edmonton. The largest of three distinct campuses, City Centre spans six city blocks in the city's downtown core. The Centre for the Arts and Communications in Edmonton's west end is another one of these campuses, which will soon relocate its creative programming to City Centre Campus in a brand new facility being built on 104 Avenue and 110 Street.
The Centre for Arts and Culture will boast 430,000 square feet of modern classrooms, labs, and exhibit and performance spaces filled with state-of-the-art technology. Vancouver-based Bing Thom Architects was appointed the lead architect on the project, working in association with local design firm Manasc Isaac. Together, they've envisioned a five-storey facility that will provide a new home for the visual, performing, and communication arts programs currently offered at the west end campus, while reserving space for other important university programs. Inside, students will find a proscenium theatre, a recital hall, a black-box theatre, galleries, and a number of visual arts, digital, and sound studios.
Not only does the building act as a new public face for the reputable institution, its prime location in the downtown core helps position Edmonton as a cultural and educational capital. Two main atria serve as gathering and informal learning spaces, and the building's glazed facade ensures an ample amount of natural daylight enters these lively hubs.
The $181 million (CAD) project is nearly fully clad in alternating strips of translucent, opaque, and green glass. Photos from the interior atria show a criss-crossed network of suspended staircases connecting the multiple building levels. Students will be able to explore these spaces when the project opens in 2017.
Until then, keep yourself updated on the building's progress by checking out the Database file linked below and its associated Forum thread.
