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T
he release of a new master plan for the
University of Windsor campus could
not have come at a better time, says Rob
Crawford, president of the undergraduate
student government.
“In our 50th anniversary year, we are
looking back and now looking forward to
the next 50 years,” he says.
He points to the launch of a new logo,
the opening of the Ed Lumley Centre
for Engineering Innovation, plans for
a downtown campus and an economic
development cluster, and says the time is
right for designs that make the UWindsor
campus its own unique place.
The Board of Governors approved the
Campus Master Plan at its June 18 meeting,
establishing a vision for the next 50 years.
Among the highlights for Crawford is
the consolidation of residences south
of Wyandotte Street, the creation of an
amphitheatre in what is now the residence
quad, and the extension of the campus to
the banks of the Detroit River.
“Moving campus to the riverfront to
give us an international presence would be
really cool,” he says.
The plan—developed by +VG Architects
in consultation with administration, faculty,
students and community stakeholders—
heightens the sense of arrival on campus
with impressive gateway signage and
welcoming points of interest.
It envisions new pedestrian pathways
enhanced with lighting, landscaping and
signage that will lead to various hubs of
activity for recreation, cultural displays, water
features and gathering spaces with seating.
The plan does not project timelines, says
UWindsor president Alan Wildeman, but
is meant to work in conjunction with the
Campus Transformation Plan to determine
how buildings connect, and what form the
spaces between buildings will take.
“This document will act as a guide for
future decisions regarding the aesthetics
of new buildings, and it identifies key
projects that could help unify the campus,
and that could be undertaken as funding
opportunities permit,” he says.
Review the new Campus Master Plan at
.
W
ork is expected to get underway
shortly on the University of
indsor’s new $8-million Welcome Centre.
To be located near the northwest
corner of Sunset Avenue and Wyandotte
Street, the Welcome Centre will function
as the front door to campus, becoming
the official address and main identifier of
the University.
The building will be the first capital
project to specifically align with the design
concepts in the Campus Master Plan,
approved by the University’s Board of
Governors earlier this year.
The Welcome Centre will be
approximately 20,000 square feet and will
house the administrative offices of student
admissions and recruitment, alumni
affairs, annual giving and stewardship, the
University campaign office, public affairs
and communications, and a bookstore
kiosk to sell branded merchandise.
The design/build contract was
expected to be awarded early this fall, with
construction beginning shortly thereafter.
The projected completion is early 2015.
Campus Master Plan Peers into the Future
New Welcome Centre to be “Campus Front Door”
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VGArchitects |DRAFTApril9,2013
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9 RESIDENCE COMMONS
The architectural drawing of the Residence Commons from the Campus Master Plan.
The architect’s rendering of the Welcome Centre, as
part of the Campus Master Plan.
