The Balsillie School of International Affairs completes the first phase of the master plan to transform the historic Seagram Distillery into a campus for the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI). The CIGI Campus is located on a 15,780-square-metre site in uptown Waterloo, Canada. The three-storey, 10,700-square-metre building integrates public and teaching areas, faculty offices, student work spaces, administrative offices and service spaces as well as a bell tower and a 250-seat auditorium/ lecture hall with an adjacent cafe.
In response to the client's request for a courtyard building with a bell tower, the design offers a contemporary interpretation of the academic quadrangle in the 'Oxbridge' style with three interconnected bar buildings organized around a central courtyard. A two-storey glass pavilion with a large-scale entrance canopy and bell tower marks the main entrance and is sited to create a publically accessible pedestrian route between the new building and the historic barrel warehouse. The spaces facing into the courtyard form a continuous glass-enclosed cloister with seating and fireplaces.
Photos: Tom Arban, Maris Mezulis, Double Space Photography