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The School of Architecture is a brightly daylit high ceilinged building. The building was formerly a silk mill and the character of the historic warehouse has been retained in our renovation. The studios that are used by the students overlook the Grand River.
The location is extremely attractive for a School of Architecture. The urban landscape in Cambridge is one of the most beautiful in Ontario. There is a marvellous stock of heritage buildings. The Grand River is a powerful presence, a designated Heritage River and the principal element in an extensive and diverse system of natural spaces that provides the City of Cambridge with a resource of inestimable value.
The project enjoys the support of the municipal governments, the private sector, the community and the local media. A group known as "The Cambridge Consortium for the School of Architecture" includes more than 30 local business leaders committed to raising over $12 million for the project. The project has already purchased a splendid historic building in the heart of old Galt - the former Riverside Silk Mill. It sits on the Grand River and faces into Queen's Square. At 85,000 sq. ft. it fits the building programme perfectly. Once renovated, the former industrial building will provide wonderful spaces for design studios, labs and classrooms. It will also provide a superb design library, exhibition galleries and public auditorium. The City of Cambridge has supported the initiative from the outset, committing $7.5 million to the project over 15 years, plus a contribution of $1.4 million to the capital costs. The City also made the project its sole priority for SuperBuild/ Canada-Ontario Infrastructure programmes of the provincial and federal governments.
The School brought 300 talented students from across Canada and around the world to Cambridge (more than 1200 students applied this year for 75 places in the programme, one of the most competitive admissions in the Ontario University system). The teaching staff consists of award winning designers and researchers. The School of Architecture hosts visiting scholars, speakers and conferences. The research facilities and the book collections are among the best on the continent. Building on a record of success in innovative design and research, the new School in Cambridge will be the home of several research centres. Working with colleagues in Engineering, Computing Science and Planning at UW and collaborating with partners from Conestoga College it will become a world centre of research in construction, development, built heritage, "green" architecture, visualisation, prototyping and computer assisted design.
Riverside is one of the most prominent structures in downtown Galt. Turning it into one of the leading design schools on the continent has had a dramatic effect upon the urban core. The housing market has received a tremendous boost. Millions of new dollars will be spent each year in the core area where the students will live during their seven-year professional education. The School of Architecture is never empty, it operates day and night all year. The School has animated the city.
The project is a model of public-private partnership, urban revitalisation, environmental remediation, technological innovation, leading-edge design and quality-of-life enhancement at the local, regional, provincial and national levels. The University sees the project as an opportunity to provide Architecture with the facilities it desperately requires to fulfil its potential, and to move the University to a Regional level, diversify its profile and strengthen links to the community.
Riverside is good for the School, for Cambridge and the surrounding area, and also for innovation and design in Canada. The School is already working at the highest international levels in the fields of design, research and education. The move to Cambridge will elevate the standards, influence the quality of Canadian construction and design technology, improve the building industry, and enhance the quality of life in a country where the vast majority of the population lives in cities and the majority of time is spent inside buildings. This is infrastructure of the most important kind.
The project was first proposed by the City of Cambridge, was nominated by the Region of Waterloo to the Provincial SuperBuild. SuperBuild approved it and nominated it to the Canada-Ontario Infrastructure Works Programme, through which it will receive funding. The internationally recognised architect Stanley Saitowitz of San Francisco is the Design Architect working with award winning Toronto firm of Levitt Goodman Architects. On February 4, 2003 the University of Waterloo Board of Governors gave final approval for the School of Architecture to relocate to Cambridge.