Associate Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science and academic program manager, Dr. Matthew Letts, tours the new Science & Academic Building giving insight to the building for staff and faculty.
There’s been lots of work completed and progress made on the new Science and Academic Building since we last toured the site in the summer. Now more than 50 per cent completed, the project is really starting to take shape. You may have noticed the glass exterior being installed in the link between University Hall and the new building or the pedestrian bridge being placed, but did you know the last structural concrete pour has been completed? Here are a few fun facts about some of the materials and quantities used to date on site:
- poured 23,820 m3 of concrete
- 3.94 miles of electrical cords on site
- 66.2 miles length of lumber used
- 3,400 shoring posts
- 343,400 screws used
Join University of Lethbridge Project Manager, Gene Lublinkhof and PCL Construction Management Ltd. Senior Superintendent, Daryl Campbell, as they tour the site and highlight some of the spaces and progress completed to date.
Bob Baunton is a structural engineer who helped to shape the University of Lethbridge campus in Lethbridge. Bob was involved in almost all major building developments from University Hall to the Max Bell Aquatic Centre. Bob was recently back on campus to tour the new science and academic building and took a few moments to chat with University Archivist, Mike Perry, about his time working on campus and working with Arthur Erickson.
Take a sneak-peek inside the new science and academic building construction site! Gene Lublinkhof, Project Manager at the U of L, introduces us to two areas of importance in the building with PCL Construction Management senior superintendent, Daryl Campbell. In this video, you’ll see the construction to-date on the link between University Hall and the new science and academic building, along with the pedestrian bridge area between the main floor of the building and upper campus.
June 23, 2017 marks the one-year anniversary of the official sod turning of the Destination Project! So much progress has been made over the past 12 months. The new science and academic building is taking shape and transforming the campus landscape before our eyes.
Watch just how far we’ve come in one year in this time-lapse video of the site with footage taken over the entire time of the build, from the grading work in May 2016 to the structural work you see now. Pretty remarkable.
As the University of Lethbridge celebrates its 50th year, one long-time supporter continues to show strong commitment to the institution.
University Hall being constructed.
PCL Construction Management Ltd. may be a new name on campus to some, but the company is no stranger to the University. The international construction giant is responsible for building the very first building on campus, the iconic University Hall. PCL was the contractor who brought Canadian architect Dr. Arthur Erickson’s (LLD ’81) design to life and it seemed fitting they continue to help shape the campus landscape by building the next frontier for the U of L.
“We’re thrilled to be helping the University of Lethbridge grow and expand with the construction of the new science and academic building,” says PCL senior project manager, Paul Walker. “The Destination Project is a truly unique building, both in design and purpose and given our history with the campus, it’s quite special to be working with the University again.”
Centre for the Arts under construction.
PCL has also thrown its support behind several university fundraising initiatives. Development Director, Barry Knapp says the contribution to the U of L has been remarkable.
“PCL has come on-board as a major sponsor for the annual Calgary dinner, they’ve given support to Pronghorn Athletics and signed on to be a VIP tent host at the Shine On Music Festival event in September,” says Knapp.
PCL’s contribution to the University and surrounding communities was also highlighted during the holidays when PCL staff and contractors adopted local families who were struggling to make ends meet. Students also benefitted from the sizeable donation PCL made to the University of Lethbridge Students’ Union food bank.
“PCL aims to build strong community relationships with the cities where we work and so our ongoing financial support to the University helps us to give back and continue to foster those relationships,” says Walker.
The current construction site of the Destination Project.
As the Destination Project approaches the one-year anniversary of the start of construction, the relationship between the University and PCL clearly continues to prosper.
Science outreach programs like Destination Exploration look forward to benefiting from the improved space and design of the new science and academic building.
Destination Exploration recently collaborated with the City of Lethbridge to expose middle-school aged girls to the wide variety of opportunities available in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields. Here’s look at what they experienced.
The University of Lethbridge was given a glimpse into the near future recently thanks to Stantec Architecture.
Dr. Mike Mahon with Stantec’s Mark Bellamy, Michael Moxam and Justin Saly with Dr. Andrew Hakin .
University President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Mike Mahon accepted a framed rendering of the new science and academic building from Stantec Architecture on the University’s behalf, along with Vice-Provost and VP Academic, Dr. Andrew Hakin and VP Finance and Administration, Nancy Walker (BMgt ’82). The rendering of the Destination Project will hang in the University’s offices and is an exciting reminder of the world-class facility that is currently under construction on campus.
The future hub of science in southern Alberta has already created buzz near and far with its sustainable design and focus on fostering collaboration between faculties, regardless of discipline. The Destination Project is scheduled to open for classes in the fall of 2019.
In celebration of National Periodic Table day, the University of Lethbridge is pleased to announce a donation of a special kind for the Destination Project. A group of former staff and faculty members and current faculty members has generously donated a periodic table to be displayed in the new science and academic building.
Dr. Peter Dibble, Chair, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, says the addition of a periodic table of the calibre that is being donated will really put science on display for southern Alberta.
The new periodic table will be an interactive focal point of the science and academic building.
“I know of other institutions that have these tables and they are magnets to members of the public because they are so interesting and beautiful to look at,” says Dibble. “I think this display will become a regular stop for elementary and high school classes and I intend to develop programs, such as element days, that will feed into such visits and offer members of the public and students to learn about specific elements, how they are used and why they are so important.”
For retired faculty member, Dr. Douglas Dolman, seeing the progress of the new science and academic building has been quite thrilling. Dolman and his wife Theresa met at the University and both worked for a number of years in the sciences. Dolman says they’re looking forward to seeing how their donation and the new building will inspire the future scientists in the area.
“The new science and academic building will be such a wonderful investment for the future of science in southern Alberta. I hope that by seeing the many extraordinary elements on display in the periodic table, it sparks something special in the young minds of those who visit the building,” says Douglas Dolman.
The periodic table is quite a unique piece of science within itself. Some elements can be made to be interactive and while it’s sized at three meters (10 feet) across and 1.8 meters (6 feet) in height, they make an impressive feature in any science building.
The periodic table contains museum-grade samples of the elements themselves that are individually illuminated in cubes. The elements in the periodic table are shown with examples of how it is used in everyday life as well as some cubes having the ability to be interactive too.
For Dibble, he believes that there is something special in the moment when you first lay your eyes on exactly what an element looks and feels like. Dibble says the feeling ignited by seeing this piece of science is perhaps best summarized by British neurologist, naturalist and author Oliver Sacks.
“In this first, sensuous glance, I saw the table as a gorgeous banquet, a huge table set with eighty-odd different dishes.” (Uncle Tungsten, Oliver Sachs, Alfred A Knopf, Toronto, 2001)
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The donations to date will go towards the purchase of the periodic table. If you’re interested in supporting this project, please contact University Advancement at 403-329-2582.
The Teaching Centre was kind enough to share their time lapse video of PCL’s Big Yeller tower crane being assembled!
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