The new 111,000 sq.ft. gateway building to Ontario Tech University’s north Oshawa campus building exemplifies the successful collocation of several previously disparate program elements into one cohesive and consolidated facility.
By its nature, a successful student space is one that fosters, attracts, and expresses the heart of its student community. Ontario Tech University’s Shawenjigewining Hall is no exception. A purpose-built space designed to encourage lively student interaction, the new hub is a dynamic mixed-use gateway to the North Oshawa campus. Intended as a “sticky building” (i.e., supporting students to ‘stick’ around), its program and design encourage the university community to use the building’s many amenities, to study, and to enjoy the social spaces. The building sets the framework for a well-connected, walkable campus, and contributes to a more robust student community.
At five stories, the lower and first two levels of the building are programmed as ‘front of house’ spaces where most student-centred spaces are located. A feature staircase connects to the lower-level Conference Centre and Student Centre. The upper levels, which are acoustically quieter, accommodate the back-of-house offices, administration, classrooms, and collaborative learning spaces. The fourth floor provides more than 10,700 sq. ft. of laboratory space for the students in the Nursing Department including a high-tech simulation lab where nursing students can hone their patient care skills using human simulation mannequins that are programmed to demonstrate a diverse range of health conditions. There are also tranquil study areas on these upper levels. The building was designed to LEED Platinum criteria.
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