PETERBOROUGH, ONT. – Designs for Trent University’s sixth college, Gidigaa Migizi College, and a new Otonabee College residence were recently reviewed by the board of governors during its February meeting.
A presentation, led by Tariq Al-idrissi, vice-president of finance and administration at Trent, Don Schmitt from Diamond Schmitt, and Alan Perlis from Knightstone Capital Management, showcased plans for the two builds with sustainability top of mind.
The projects will include a geothermal heating and cooling system and aim to achieve LEED Gold certification, explains a release.
Gidigaa Migizi College will serve as a hub for academic programming and student living. Together with the renewal of Otonabee College residences, modernized student housing will be a feature of both new buildings, along with accessibility features.
During the meeting, Diamond Schmitt also presented landscape and flow designs for the footprint of the two buildings. There will be indoor and outdoor common areas, such as a covered outdoor pavilion designed for community gathering. The redirection of vehicle traffic will strengthen connections to the Otonabee River and prioritize pedestrian movement on campus, the release reads.
Indigenous architectural firm Two Row Architects led consultations with Indigenous communities and groups on campus and prepared a consultation report based on feedback gathered from a series of talking circles with First Peoples House of Learning, the Chanie Wenjack School for Indigenous Studies and local Indigenous communities.
Feedback from the report will be integrated into architectural elements and designs.
The two buildings are anticipated to open in fall 2028. Site preparation will begin this winter, with groundbreaking slated to occur this summer.
Fram Construction will be working with the developer, architects and the university to build both facilities.
“This is a landmark moment for Trent as we continue to expand in ways that honour our past while looking ahead to our future,” said Al-idrissi in a statement. “Gidigaa Migizi College and the new Otonabee College residence will be transformative spaces on Trent’s already iconic Peterborough campus. We are eager to see this vision coming to life.”
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