G-wing Renovation

Placing the student experience at the heart of the decision-making process

Planning for the renovation of the G-wing into a vibrant hub of student-based campus services and activity is underway. Creating an integrated service delivery model will make it easier for students — from prospective to graduate — to navigate and access services and activities that support their ability to thrive and engage with Mount Royal University. This exciting project will create a central heart for student activity on campus. This is an accessible, inclusive space for work and for play, for sparking interactions and conversations, increasing engagement across all campus member groups.

The goal is to facilitate a more streamlined experience for students as they access centralized services such as Academic Advising and Career Services. An information counter to greet students, appointment rooms and flexible spaces contribute to a comfortable environment that adapts to the needs of users, whether they be students or employees. A central student plaza serves as a gathering place while also fostering greater connection with Indigenous and international students and communities.

In addition, the project features two new classrooms that will be able to accommodate large groups of students in addition to two Science and Technology laboratories to replace the two that will have to be removed due to construction.

The University appreciates the support from employees, students and the wider Mount Royal community as work gets underway on this transformative project that will improve the student experience. 

Background

Where we started
The 2016 Campus Master Plan identified the opportunity to repurpose the vacated library space in the G-wing along Main Street to create a new student centre that would also host a gathering space. With $50 million in capital funding from the provincial government and $15 million in private funding from the Don and Ruth Taylor family (the Taylor Family Foundation), this much-needed renovation is converting unusable areas of the old library and Conservatory into modern and functional spaces with a student-centred purpose. The first phase of this work — four new classrooms in W-wing as well as study spaces and washrooms — is complete and being used by students.

What’s been going on?
The next phase involves the G-wing. This is the two-storey former library space along Main Street, approximately 4,700 m2 of programmable space, including adjacent Faculty of Science & Technology spaces on the first and second floors. An initial functional program — a process that aligns the space with the functions that will take place in it — led to a schematic design for the project. In 2022, the University re-engaged with the primary stakeholders, who make up the Project Users’ Group, to ensure the design still meets the needs of students and employees. 

In addition to the Project Users’ Group, a Steering Committee, composed of University leadership, and an Operations Committee, with representatives from Facilities Management, Finance and University Advancement, are part of this review. These groups are working with Colliers Project Leaders, project managers of the G-wing renovation, Stuart Olson Construction Ltd. and the Calgary studio of DIALOG, the architectural firm designing the space. 

In the renovated G-wing, our community will be able to access Students’ Division services and resources. The current proposal also includes: 

• The Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
• Two new Science & Technology laboratories that replace two current S&T laboratories
• Two new, large classroom spaces
• A new connection to the Iniskim Centre 

Fall 2023: Users have their say
The Project Users’ Group — made up of representatives from the Students Division, the primary service providers in the space, as well as Facilities Management, University Advancement and others — revalidated the functional program. This group determined how we can best deliver a student-focused, integrated service delivery model in the old library space. Identifying key aspects in the student journey — from arrival to exit — kept the focus on the most efficient, innovative, engaging way to serve our students. 

All this information was used to create a schematic design report. This takes the functions of what Mount Royal wants to occur in the old library area and translates it into a physical drawing of the space. The report underwent technical review by Mount Royal for feedback, as well as estimating efforts to assess the project cost. The project team reviewed the estimates and implemented design revisions from the cost savings list that was developed in parallel. 

The report was updated in response to feedback, and the final version submitted to the Government of Alberta in November 2023. Once this report was completed, the next phase began: detailed design work.

Design development phase

The design development phase — which finalizes layout design — lasted from November 2023 through April 2024. During design development, additional details are added to the drawings such as structural components, where the door to an office goes, where electrical plug-ins are required, what flooring is used in various locations and where plumbing lines will be located. The floor plans and elevations completed as a part of this phase provide a vision of what the finished space will look like and how it will function. 

To facilitate effective user engagement during the design development phase, various working groups were established. These include groups that focus on technology and furniture, fixtures and equipment, with participation from members of the Operations Group Committee and the Project User Group. This ensures that the users of the space had opportunities to provide comprehensive input into the design of the finished space as do those who will be supporting the users. The working groups that supported finalizing the layout design of the G-wing renovation included:

Technology Working Group
This group, including representatives from Facilities Management, Student Division, Information Technology Services and Building Ops. confirmed the IT/AV needs for the space, keeping in mind the equipment will need to follow MRU standards. The user group provided valuable input to help define functionality. 

Furniture Working Group
This group, composed of representatives from Facilities Management and Student Division, helped define the basis of design. The furniture procurement will be required to follow a competitive bid process. User engagement will help define functionality and bring samples of products to get feedback.

Finishes Working Group
This group consists of representatives from Facilities Management, Student Division and Building Ops. Finishes were be led by DIALOG and were a two-stage approach:

• A finishes board was presented by DIALOG which encompassed items like carpet, tile, paint, etc. These proposed options were reviewed by Facilities Management in terms of durability, maintenance, design standards, etc. 
• Presentation meetings: presentation of DIALOG’s interior design on Science and Technology, the Student Centre and the Student Plaza to wider groups discovered if there was a strong rejection consensus, which could spark further conversation for alternative choices.

G-wing committees reviewed the Design Development Draft Report and provided feedback to DIALOG in order to meet the April 9 submission deadline to the Government of Alberta. 

What's next?

Following the design development phase, construction documents will be created that reflect the finalized design. Then, the project will put out tenders for the various scopes of work that make up the construction and apply for applicable building permits. Construction can then begin. Construction is anticipated to be completed in the fall of 2026.

Timeline

• Schematic design

  June – November 2023

• Design development

  November 2023 – April 2024

• Construction documents

  April – December 2024

• Construction procurement

  February – March 2025

• Construction, deficiency correction and occupancy

  March 2025 – September 2026

Contact us

This project is overseen by Facilities Management with the leadership of the Vice-President of Finance and Administration. Email gwingrenovation@mtroyal.ca with any questions. This webpage will be added to as the project progresses.