Planning continues on new building sites

In the wake of funding announcements earlier this spring for new and expanded buildings at UVic, planning continues on these and other facilities for the campus.

The projects will help address the current space crunch on campus and assist with accommodating the provincially funded growth in undergraduate student spaces. The projects are proceeding in accordance with the principles of the 2003 Campus Plan.

On May 25, the campus planning committee approved the addition of the area between the Continuing Studies Building and the Centennial Stadium parking lot to UVic’s inventory of building sites. The facilities development and sustainability sub-committee (FDSS) recommended to the president that the site be used for the proposed support services building.

The FDSS determined that other potential sites were not suited for this purpose or too far away from the core areas the building will support. The site meets the campus plan objectives to concentrate academic uses within Ring Road. The proposed building will free up space in current buildings to allow for much-needed teaching and research expansion inside the ring.

A softball diamond will be re-oriented and retained alongside the new building, which was not considered suitable for the proposed village centre. The building will house administrative units such as accounting, the budget office and institutional planning rather than the student-related functions more appropriate for the village concept.

The FDSS also approved the programs of requirements for the science and social sciences/mathematics buildings to allow design work to begin. In keeping with the campus plan’s commitment to sustainable practices and building features, the university will seek LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) designation for both projects.

UVic President Dr. David Turpin has accepted the FDSS recommendation that the social sciences and mathematics building be located on parking lot D beside the Sedgewick Building. In addition to helping concentrate academic buildings inside Ring Road, the location is consistent with the campus plan goals of densifying and using parking lots as building sites whenever possible to preserve campus green space.