Regina Campus Receives Award of Merit at Premier's Design Awards

It is our pleasure to announce the University of Saskatchewan Regina Campus, home to the College of Nursing, received an Award of Merit in the Interior Design Category at the Premier's Design Awards on Friday, October 25th.

Mark Tomtene, Director of Information and Communications Technology at the College of Nursing, worked closely with U of S Facilities Management (FMD) and the architects on this project. "It was important the U of S Regina Campus had an atmosphere consistent with that of buildings at the main U of S Campus in Saskatoon. As the first college to reside at the Regina Campus, we had an opportunity to help shape the site. Working collaboratively with FMD and Stantec designers, we knew the site must be student centered and provide a variety of spaces for teaching and learning, research and administration." When asked about the specifics of the renovations, Mark replied, "The building was previously a bible college, so it had the "bones" that allowed for a natural adaptation of the space to become a quality post-secondary academic environment. Some of the spaces were already ideally configured and received updated finishing, furniture and/or technology, including the main entry, faculty office wing, the washrooms and the lecture theatre. Some of the spaces were re-conceptualized, including the learning commons and skills lab and some of the spaces were created from scratch, including the staff offices, classrooms, boardroom and faculty lounge."

"We are so thrilled to offer this space to our students," said Associate Dean Southern Saskatchewan Campus Dr. Lynn Jansen. "As they enter the Regina Campus, they are walking into a modern, state-of-the-art facility. The graduate mezzanine and learning commons have been described by students as 'a palace'. Not only do we now have a space to call our own in Regina, we have one that was specifically designed for the students to meet their learning needs and offer them space to foster socially interactive learning with advanced technology."

"The whole project was a feat of design, team work and project planning", said Grant McKercher, lead designer from Stantec. "With Nursing, FMD and Stantec working as a team, we went from viewing potential lease spaces in February 2012, to being completely finished in February 2013. That pace is very difficult to achieve and the dynamic of the team allowed it to happen. The learning commons is an excellent gathering space for students to work, eat and meet in breakout rooms. It provides the experience of a campus, and is immediately adjacent to the key lab spaces, graduate student area and lecture theatre. We are very proud of the space and thankful to have such a great client team."

The annual Premier's Design Awards recognize outstanding design achievements in categories such as architecture, community planning, interior design and landscape.