News

Prospective architects present to students

February 4, 2013

By Alison Roach
Photos by Vaikunthe Banerjee

Firms in the running to design the new SUB introduce themselves and their visions

Full video coverage of all 3 presentations is available at the bottom of the article.

Last Wednesday, Build SFU held architect presentations for the firms still in the running for designing project.

The three firms were given 30 minutes each to present to a crowded MBC food court their vision of the new student union building. Amanda Buchan, the MC for the evening, opened with an explanation for the event. “We want to make sure that the architect firm that we choose has the same vision as we do for where we want our building to go.”

Presentations emphasized maximizing student space, food services, integrating student life with recreation and athletics, and student involvement through consultation.

If you didn’t make it out, here are the finer points of the firms’ presentations.

Perkins+Will
A 75-person firm based downtown, Perkins+Will took a holistic approach to their vision of the building. Team leader Jana Foit opened by saying, “We look at this as a journey… the first step being the big idea, the second step being the process of how we get there, and the third being a new beginning for your campus, your new student building and stadium.”

They also presented the idea of keeping in mind what they called “the six dimensions of wellness:” emotional, intellectual, spiritual, social, mental, and physical.

As far as design, Perkins+Will is interested in anature, sustainability, transparency, a new and welcoming front door, a sense of place, warmth, food, space to play, combining student life with recreation and athletics, and creating community. The firm has worked on over 250 higher education projects around the world, including UBC’s Earth Science buildings and our own Saywell and Blusson Hall.

HMCA / Endall Elliot
Emphasizing the importance of collaboration, this 50-person firm based in Vancouver and Victoria opened by presenting their numerous university projects, including UBC’s Pharmacy Building, the site of a UBC Lip-dub video.

They have worked in various design projects for SFu BUrnaby during the last eight years, including the 2010 Campus Plan Development Update, which included developing guidelines for all the remaining development sites on campus, guaranteeing that they are very familiar with Burnaby Mountain.

Their vision for the building revolved around authenticity, the experience of entering the building, transparency, unifying space, sunlight, warm materials, maximizing connection with the rest of the campus, and different uses of space. Imagine a lot of glass wall concepts, and large open spaces connected through transparency.

Dialog
A collaboration of three different firms, this presentation gave half the time to introducing the firm and their vision, and the other half to audience questions. Their opening message was the ethos “respect, regeneration, responsibility.”

One of their earliest designs was Granville Island, a project they presented as being embedded in their DNA. They were also the only firm to acknowledge cost outright, recognizing that this will be a building bought and paid for by students.

Dialog also emphasized the importance of synergy between student life and recreation, a blend of sport and leisure, something they see great potential in the Lorne Davies complex site. “A purpose of a student building is to improve the quality of student life,” said presenter Bruce Hayden, “to bring people together and allow them to express their passions to each other.”

The Q+A session went into less detail than other firms, but discussed ideas to bring all three SFU campuses together.

Although the location has not been finalized, the proposed site for the SUB is the Lorne Davies Complex, and the man for whom the building is named sat front and centre throughout the presentations, taking notes and asking questions. Afterwards, Davies said, “What a great idea to let the students hear from the architectural people. In the past… whatever it was that affected the students, generally they found out after the fact.”

He continued, “Students generate enthusiasm. That’s what I’ve always loved about students, that they’re keen and enthusiastic. They can contribute some very good ideas, and provide thoughts that sometimes professional people forget.”

Build SFU is now hosting an online survey for students to give feedback on the architect firms and what they think is important in the selection, which can be found at www.buildsfu.ca. Those who complete it score a free large coffee from the Higher Grounds Coffee Shop.

Perkins+Will