Heart of the City
In 2012, Trinity Western will achieve a major milestone when it opens a new campus in Richmond, BC. As part of a multimillion dollar residential development in downtown Richmond, the developer gave TWU 22,000 square feet for its campus. The University’s Richmond campus will be located on the corner of Minoru Boulevard and Firbridge Way, a short walk from two Canada Line stations–the rapid transit service connecting Richmond with Vancouver and the Vancouver Airport. This new development complex will also feature five towers, townhouses, and a community centre.
Andry Tjahyana, executive director of development for the Richmond Campus, is working to ensure that the new campus is an integrated part of the Richmond community. Programs are being developed in consultation with community leaders to meet the specific needs of Richmond. “We are making every effort to engage the Richmond community throughout every step of developing this campus,” says Tjahyana. “They will have the opportunity to be involved in what will become their university.” A feasibility study conducted by a leading fundraising consultancy group showed that the Richmond community is prepared to collaborate with TWU on developing programs, and is also willing to provide financial support. A focus for Tjahyana leading up to the construction of the campus is to cultivate new partnerships between TWU and the Richmond community.
“We picked the best corner because it deserves to be on the best corner.” –Wing Leung, Achitect
Even the physical design of the development was created with a strong sense of community in mind. The architect responsible for the design, Wing Leung, says, “I have a theory about how public buildings should be handled in cities. Like everything else in cities, you’ll find that certain buildings have hierarchies such as law courts, universities, galleries, community centres, museums, and libraries. These public interest buildings and spaces rank in importance to the development of human kind–they have a higher place; they rank higher than commercial residential buildings.”
In keeping with this theory, Leung, along with the developer, picked the most appealing corner for the location of the campus. The campus and the community centre are intentionally being situated on Minoru Boulevard to create a direct spatial relationship to Richmond City Hall, the law courts, library, and other public buildings. The southwest corner of the development that will house the campus and community centre will also receive the most sun throughout the day. Leung explains simply, “We picked the best corner because it deserves to be on the best corner.”
While academic programming for the campus is under development, it is already clear that there will be a strong focus on innovative curriculum and delivery systems. “We want to think outside of what one would usually imagine as standard university education,” says Tjahyana. “With a relatively small footprint to work with, good design, like a compact yet powerful Blackberry device, will be key to making a small campus space have big impact.” As well as a resource for students and the Richmond community, the new campus promises to strengthen the University as a whole. In the heart of one of Canada’s fastest growing cities, the campus will be a gateway to a multitude of opportunities for growth.
by Caleb Zimmerman
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