Thompson Rivers University has unveiled plans for an exciting new revitalization of Old Main which will include 40,000 square feet of new learning space and will house Canada’s newest Faculty of Law. The design was unveiled in front of its inspiration Mount Paul by Group of Seven painter, A. Y. Jackson. This revitalization will make Old Main one of the most innovative buildings in the BC Interior. Read the full story here.

HISTORY

• Old Main has been at the heart of the campus since 1971, before Thompson Rivers University (TRU) existed.
• Today it houses classrooms, department offices, the TRU Art Gallery, and the Actors’ Workshop Theatre.
• The revitalization of the Old Main is pivotal to ongoing growth and development of TRU, including providing a home for the Faculty of Law, the newest law school in Canada.

DESIGN

• The requirement for a new home for the Faculty of Law was one of the main drivers in the decision to revitalize the site.
• The university set high objectives for the competing architecture firms. TRU was focused on creating both a beautiful exterior that would become a new landmark and livable, vibrant space that would be central to student life and the new Faculty of Law.
• The competition for design attracted numerous Canadian and International design firms and we selected the award-winning team of Diamond and Schmitt Architects and Stantec.
• For inspiration, Diamond and Schmitt looked to the topography of Kamloops and was inspired by the art of Canada’s A. Y. Jackson, one of the famous Group of Seven painters. The result is a spectacular undulating roof line that mirrors Mount Peter and Paul which dominates the Kamloops horizon.
• The inaugural class of the Faculty of Law will commence in September 2011. Classes and Faculty offices will initially be integrated into a number of locations throughout the campus and will move into Main Hall as it becomes available. The interim arrangements have been made to minimize any interference with current students and faculty and maximize the experience of existing students as well as law students.

CONSTRUCTION

• TRU also wanted to minimize construction impacts to the faculty and student body. We are a working university, and our operations need to continue unimpeded.
• The building will incorporate pine beetle kill wood from the local area into the building. This is something we are seeing more and more of in BC, such as the Vancouver Olympic Speed Skating Oval and the Vancouver Convention Centre.
• Main Hall will be designed to LEED principles
• Special attention has been paid to the acoustic quality both inside the lecture halls and in the common space (Diamond and Schmitt Architects is a world-leading designer of concert and opera halls, including the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto, the new Montreal Concert Hall, and the soon to be opened New Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia.
• The building will make extensive use of passive solar to harvest sunlight as well as high R-rated insulation to keep the building energy efficient

TIMELINES

• Design award process completed in February 2011. Winning proponent Diamond and Schmitt Architects and Stantec, in joint venture
• Estimated costs of construction are $20 million but subject to competitive process and bids.
• The shell of the building, Phase 1, the Shell, will cost approximately $10 million dollars. The interior, Phase 2, will be funded through public-private fundraising and will cost an estimated $10 million
• Tender packages will go out in November
• Construction of Phase 1 will start offsite during the winter of 2011 as to minimize interference to the campus and the student body
• Onsite construction is scheduled to begin in April 2012, with completion of the shell in June 2012