In an exciting next step that will shape the university’s future and serve the greater Halifax community, King’s is moving forward with its plans to redevelop and revitalize the southeast corner of its campus by awarding the building’s design contract to leading Canadian architectural firm Diamond Schmitt in association with Abbott Brown.
Recognized for its bold, responsive design solutions developed with a humanist approach, Diamond Schmitt’s extensive portfolio of work includes over 150 academic facilities for 60 post-secondary clients across North America. The firm has been awarded seven Canadian Governor General’s Awards for Architecture and is recognized for its ability to respect heritage buildings across historical campuses while re-imagining them for the emerging pedagogies of the 21st century.
“We’re excited to work with King’s and its wider community in realizing this transformational project. The project brings together the School of Journalism, Writing and Publishing, athletics and new residences in an innovative, sustainably driven facility for the 21st century. It will create a crossroads where academic excellence, health and wellness, together with on-campus living, enhance the university experience and student life,” says Martin Davidson, Principal at Diamond Schmitt. “Building on the legacy of King’s campus, the project significantly expands its engagement with the wider community, African Nova Scotians and the Mi’kmaq in providing an open and inclusive architecture that will be a welcoming beacon to all.”
The first phase of the project, funded by a $1 million gift from King’s Chancellor Debra Deane Little and her husband Bob Little, will include extensive internal and external community dialogues that will inform concept drawings and pre-design work.
So they can create a new space that is truly welcoming to all, the design team comprises a diverse group of professionals organized under the leadership of Diamond Schmitt Architects, including the firm’s principals, Martin Davidson, Donald Schmitt and Cecily Eckhardt. Jane Abbott and Alec Brown, principals at the Halifax firm Abbott Brown, bring to the plan their extensive experience in public and heritage projects in Nova Scotia and a deep understanding of local Maritime context and conditions. Their team includes Sophia Horwitz and Greg Woolner, Co-directors of COLAB, who will act as public engagement facilitators and will advise on the consultation process. Village Consulting will provide sustainability leadership to help guide the project. Kate MacDonald, an African Nova Scotian community facilitator, and Indigenous Liaison Gary Joseph Goodstriker of Big River Cree First Nation, who has been part of the Sipekne’katik First Nation for 30 years, round out the engagement team to ensure we create an inclusive environment where all members of our community can thrive.
“We’re thrilled to work with Diamond Schmitt, Abbott Brown and the experts they have brought together for our project,” says William Lahey, King’s President and Vice-Chancellor. “We look forward to the dialogues and discussions the team will conduct within and beyond King’s to create a state-of-the-art facility that reflects the rich history of Mi’kma’ki, as well as the history of King’s. Our goal in this project is to strongly put our acknowledgement that we are on unceded Mi’kmaq land into action, and to strengthen our relationships with African Nova Scotian communities. Together, we’ll create a fully accessible space that moves King’s toward net-zero goals and confirms King’s leadership in the education of journalists and creative writers, the provision of supportive and affordable student housing and collegiate and community sports and recreation.”
Plans for the brand-new 140,000 square-foot (130,006 square-metre) multi-use building include a residence that will double the affordable housing options for King’s students living on campus. The facility will also serve as a dynamic new hub for the School of Journalism, Writing & Publishing (including Canada’s first centre for excellence in podcasting) and a modern gymnasium and wellness centre for King’s flourishing athletics program and community groups that rely on the university’s recreational facilities.
King’s has been a place of innovation and distinction since its founding in 1789. Its history and future are inexorably intertwined with the history and future of the province that gives it a home. The Southeast Corner Project at the University of King’s College is poised to shape the institution’s future by embodying its commitment to educational excellence and community integration within a 21st-century context. This new building will foster a vibrant centre for journalism, writing and publishing, and serve as a dynamic hub for students, faculty, and the Halifax community to engage in athletics, learning and cultural activities.
