Redefining what belonging looks like on campus
Depending on the time of day, you might step into University Commons and spot a student settling into a sunlit window nook, a quiet conversation unfolding beneath the warmth of the wood-lined atrium, or a cultural gathering coming to life in one of the open corner spaces. Long a place of prominence on campus, the building has been reborn as the University’s front door. Today, it serves as a shared, inclusive destination that reflects the evolving rhythms of campus life at the University of Alberta.
Originally built for faculty-specific use, the building’s interior was fragmented and underutilized. The renewal reworks the structure from the inside out, replacing departmental divisions with spaces that support transparency, gathering, and shared use. The spatial logic is simple: keep things open, allow light to travel, and provide users with the agency to navigate the building on their own terms.
The neighbourhoods feature a suspended installation of custom wood gliders—an interior gesture drawn from the geometry of the curtain wall. As daylight shifts, the gliders cast subtle shadows that evolve with weather and time of day. Their form recalls the openness of Alberta’s prairie skies, rooting the space in its local context through quiet movement and material rhythm.
Throughout, connections to land are expressed through natural light, tactile finishes, and seasonal cues. The design references the climate and ecology of Alberta without relying on literal representation.
Throughout the building, spatial decisions support inclusivity. Classrooms follow a consistent modular layout, available to any faculty. Meeting rooms are not hidden behind departments. Offices are pulled away from windows, allowing shared spaces to benefit from natural light. There’s a dedicated calming room designed with material softness and sensory regulation in mind. These design choices didn’t emerge as retrofits; they were integrated into the process from the outset.
Two core ideas guide the design: the tree of knowledge and the shared meal. Both hold cultural meaning and shape the building’s spatial identity. The tree of knowledge provides a structural analogy, with circulation branching outward from the atrium, much like limbs from a trunk, into open teaching, meeting, and gathering zones.
The neighbourhoods extend this logic, offering distinct yet connected places for informal use. The idea of the shared meal informs how social spaces are distributed across the plan. Moments for gathering are embedded throughout, shaped by a relaxed atmosphere and tactile materials that invite people to sit, stay, and interact without pretext.
Indigenous presence is woven into the building through material and story. Métis artist Christi Belcourt’s work, layered with symbolism drawn from nature, echoes the design’s larger themes of land and the rhythms of the seasons. Their integration into functional elements like acoustic surfaces is both pragmatic and poetic—supporting comfort and performance while enriching the building with texture, story, and cultural resonance. This approach reflects a broader commitment to embedding Indigenous voices into the physical and conceptual fabric of the project.
Mount Allison University Purdy Crawford Centre for the Arts
Toronto Metropolitan University Student Learning Centre
