New space will provide more than 800 study spaces: Rock
Photo: courtesy of Caroline Millard
University of Ottawa President Allan Rock unveiled plans for the university’s new Learning Centre, set to open in December 2017, with construction already underway.
“The way that students learn at universities has changed enormously,” said Rock at a ceremony for the new building on Aug. 14. “The Learning Centre is one of the ways we will meet the changing and contemporary needs of our 43,000 students.”
The Learning Centre will be attached to Lamoureux Hall, on the corner of Marie Curie and Louis Pasteur. This will put the building close to the future light rail transit’s uOttawa station.
With an $83 million price tag, the centre will contain 26 classrooms, two of which will fit 120 students, with the rest accommodating 60. It will also contain 800 round-the-clock study spaces, 350-seat lecture halls, a computer lab, and a food court.
The project was approved by the university’s Board of Governors last November as a part of Rock’s Vision 2020, which looks to improve the student experience by promoting quality of teaching and learning and the creation of more student space, among other things.
“The Learning Centre will become the new place where students congregate on campus,” said Christian Detellier, vice-president, academic and provost.
The building is being funded by the university and the Province of Ontario, which contributed $30 million.
Reza Moridi, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, was also at the ceremony. “We need to provide our students with the learning spaces and technology to support them in a rapidly changing landscape,” he said.
