Thursday, May 25, 2017

SLC/PAC construction begins this week

A message from the SLC/PAC communications committee.

Construction to expand student space in the Student Life Centre (SLC) and Physical Activities Complex (PAC) will kick-off this week. Leading the two-year project is the Toronto-based company Bondfield Construction, who have been involved with many large-scale projects including Engineering 5, School of Accounting, and the Science Teaching Complex.

Once completed, the expansion will connect to the current SLC on all three floors and connect with the Red North corner of the PAC. An indoor link connecting the SLC to the third floor of MC will also be built. It is expected that the project will offer students an additional 60,000 plus square feet in space.  

While it won’t entirely be business-as-usual in both buildings throughout the duration of the project, careful accommodations have been made to ensure that students experience as few interruptions to campus life as possible.

Navigating campus

Construction fencing will be erected on from the SLC courtyard to the Blue North side of the PAC. As a result, the path stretching from the BMH extension to SLC will be rerouted on to the BMH green. Signage on the fences, as well as the campus map, will be updated regularly to reflect changes to footpaths in an effort to ensure UWaterloo community members are able to navigate quickly and easily between buildings.

PAC service changes

At this stage in the project, services offered in the PAC will be most impacted by construction: The first floor men’s change room is now offline, but remain open for day-locker use and pool access. The lower women's change room has been converted to men's change rooms.

The squash courts on the red side of the building will be phased out of use; however, the blue side will remain open throughout construction.

Fitness and conditioning equipment available in the PAC will still be accessible to users, but will be relocated to the Warrior Zone or moved to the CIF facility in north campus. Improvements to the CIF, including risers and additional weight racks to accommodate user needs are expected over the coming months.

Details about changes to the PAC’s services can be found on the Athletics and Recreation website.

SLC service changes

The biggest impact to the SLC during construction will be access to entryways and outdoor space around the building. The SLC courtyard will be inaccessible during construction. Community members are encouraged to take advantage of the new patio in the Arts Quad as an alternative.

Two student meeting/ study spaces will be impacted as the project progresses: a significant portion of 3106 will be walled-off, though will still be accessible to students. The glass walls around 2143 will be removed and the space will remain unbookable until the project concludes. Students looking for alternative study spaces should use the Study Space and Open Classrooms widgets on Portal.

All Food Services outlets in the building, including Subway, will remain open until further notice.

For more information about the progress of the SLC/PAC project, visit the Associate Provost Students website.

Kitchener’s digital storytelling tour features School of Pharmacy

The School of Pharmacy has partnered with the City of Kitchener to support the Made in Kitchener walking tour. Made in Kitchener is a digital storytelling tour with stops around downtown Kitchener.

At each location, signs with QR codes link walkers to websites that include videos and stories from the city’s industrial past. The sign for stop nine is displayed at the Health Sciences Campus, between the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy and the McMaster University Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine.

Called the Innovation District, the website for stop nine celebrates the cycle of mass manufacturing giving way to knowledge-based industries like universities, Google, and Desire2Learn. Walkers can hear from Orville Thacker, a tire builder at the BF Goodrich plant that used to stand where the School of Pharmacy is today.

If you’re interested in learning more about Kitchener’s past and growth, stop by the School of Pharmacy and pick up a Made in Kitchener walking tour guide.

Electric Vehicle Challenge on track for this Saturday

Teams from 20 high schools and colleges across Ontario will compete in the sixth annual Waterloo Electric Vehicle (EV) Challenge on Saturday, May 27.

Students will compete in three endurance races, driving electric cars they have designed and built from scratch on a temporary race course set up on Waterloo’s East Campus.  This competition is unique to Waterloo – you won’t see these cars racing any place else in Canada.

The EV Challenge provides students with opportunities to learn about engineering while learning project management, fabrication skills, and teamwork. There are prizes for the best results on the race track, as well as excellence in engineering design and manufacturing.

The event takes place on Saturday, May 27 in the East Campus Q Parking Lot.

Pits open at 8:00 a.m. and cars will be on display until 10:00 a.m., when the first heat in the 12-volt endurance race begins. The second 12-vote heat takes place at 11:30 a.m., and at 1:30 p.m. is the 24-volt endurance race.

The awards ceremony will take place at 3:30 p.m.

Members of the public are welcome to watch the races, visit with the teams in the pits, and explore some of Waterloo’s student teams and electric vehicle research. Admission and parking for the event are free.