The Robert G. Kuhn building at Trinity Western University (TWU) is a $35 million, 73,000 square feet post-secondary facility currently under construction and expected to open Fall 2021.
The four-storey mass timber atrium building is a landmark building that marks the entry to the university’s Langley, B.C. campus. It will be the future home of the School of Business, GLOBAL, and Student Life’s Global Engagement Office (GEO), and a multi-functional facility for students and faculty.
“The beauty and clarity of the building’s design serves to capture the innovative spirit of Trinity Western University.” said Aklilu Mulat, Senior Vice President of Business Administration and Chief Financial Officer, in a letter to the TWU community.
“It also symbolizes the expanding reach and growth of our University that would not have been possible without the building’s namesake, President Emeritus, Robert G. Kuhn.”
The ground-breaking ceremony for the Robert G. Kuhn building took place on February 14, 2020. By August 13, 2020 the building’s foundation was completed.
Langley Township’s first University District
On September 10, 2020 with the start of the school year underway, TWU unveiled its address name change. With the opening of the 216th Street highway interchange, the road that leads to the university campus, 80th Avenue, was renamed University Drive. The name change is part of plans for the creation of a University District within the Township of Langley. TWU president Mark Husbands and Langley Township mayor Jack Froese expressed in a joint statement their intention to foster a University District within the Township, an area spanning TWU Langley campus, Fort Langley, and the Langley Events Centre.
“As people in Langley and across Canada prepare for economic recovery beyond 2020, we are committed to strengthening our standing within the Township and our surrounding community,” President Husbands said.
In addition to its Langley main campus, TWU has recently expanded into Richmond, B.C. After opening its Richmond Minoru location in 2015, student enrolment quickly expanded. To accommodate enrolment growth, in February 2020, TWU opened a second Richmond location in Lansdowne Centre.
TWU currently serves about 5,000 students across all its campuses and locations. This year, in light of COVID-19 health precautions, TWU is offering a Multi-Access education to accommodate students studying from any location or time zone.
Sustainability with function and beauty
Sustainability is important to the design team at ThinkSpace Architecture, the architectural firm who is leading the Robert G. Kuhn building project. Their design takes advantage of natural light, with views connecting the building back to the rest of campus.
The mass timber building structure was selected to enhance the well-being of the occupants as well as ensure the construction schedule. The ability to showcase the innovation of wood structures in a post-secondary learning environment further reinforces the need for a didactic approach to sustainability in education facilities.
As well, passive strategies such as daylighting, highly efficient envelope, and the four-storey interconnected atrium which creates a thermal chimney, are all part of the building design.
The new academic building has spaces for both faculty and students. It supports current pedagogy, experiential, problem-based and collaborative learning models. The teaching spaces are easily reconfigurable.
The classrooms range from 25-75 workstations with small project breakout spaces. These classrooms offer the ability to transform into flexible layouts depending on the teaching style or class type.
About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is Canada’s premier Christian liberal arts university dedicated to equipping students to establish meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. It is a fully accredited research institution offering liberal arts and sciences, as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has five campuses and locations: Langley, Richmond-Lansdowne, Richmond-Minoru, Ottawa, and Bellingham, WA. TWU emphasizes academic excellence, research, and student engagement in a vital faith community committed to forming leaders to have a transformational impact on culture. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn.
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