The new Innovation and Wellness Centre is part of an important initiative at Queen’s University to restructure health and wellness services and achieve a more holistic service delivery model. The newly adapted and expanded 67 Union Street building co-locates a wide range of services and programs at the heart of Queen’s Campus, including the Chaplaincy, Student Wellness Services, Accessibility Services, Registrar functions, International Centre, an Innovation hub, a new exam centre, a number of recreation and athletic facilities as well as the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science. It strives to be a campus within a campus, promoting accessibility, inclusivity, connectivity and community.
The design effectively organizes purpose built, state-of-the-art facilities into their most advantageous layout to maximize adjacencies between similar programs, exploit functional relationships, afford important opportunities for enhanced integration and collaboration between different user groups, and create an inspiring multi-disciplinary environment. An addition to south end of the existing structure enlarges the building footprint, consolidates the athletic spaces in one area, provides for more efficiencies between complementary program spaces, and brings much needed natural light into the building. With so many program spaces, strong north south and east west axes provide for easy circulation and intuitive way-finding throughout the building. Comprehensive system upgrades support new and enhanced building functions.
Additional shell space on the third floor anticipates future growth. A robust and agile technology infrastructure facilitates new ways of teaching, learning and researching. Exploiting a range of active and passive energy efficient systems, this transformation is also a powerful exemplar of Queen’s commitment to sustainability.
CS&P in association with Montgomery Sisam