An exterior view of Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver. Photo courtesy of ECUAD.
It’s back to school with a difference at Vancouver’s Emily Carr University of Art and Design, as students start classes this week at the new $123-million campus.
And probably no one is more thrilled than the university’s president, Ronald Burnett, who has spent recent days chatting with students, staff and faculty members as they get acquainted with their new 290,000 square-foot home.
The main entrance of Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver. Photo courtesy of ECUAD.
“Day after day we’ve been meeting with different groups … and it’s been great,” says Burnett. “I’m really impressed with everyone’s work. In general, our staff and faculty and students have been really involved and excited. It’s an exciting building.”
Opened last week by Premier John Horgan, the building is equipped with plenty of cutting edge technology, including networked virtual reality systems, a digital animation studio, and a motion-capture and visualization lab.
Ron Burnett, president of Emily Carr University of Art and Design, at far left, helps Melanie Mark, the B.C. minister of advanced education, B.C. Premier John Horgan
alumna Tsema Igharas and chancellor Geoff Plant cut a ribbon at the new campus.
Located in the Flats district east of downtown, it also boasts LEED Gold certification, sky-lit atriums and various exhibition spaces. The library is filled with natural light and studios have large north-facing windows. The building’s exterior features panels of coloured glass that refer to colours in Emily Carr’s paintings.
One of Burnett’s favourite spots is the theatre. “It’s an intimate 400-seater that has surround sound and 3-D projection and it’s a wonderful place for lectures and performances,” he says.
The upper level of the theatre at Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver. Photo courtesy of ECUAD.
While the building is beautiful, Burnett also points to the size of the new facility. “Its volume really makes a statement about the importance of the arts and humanities to B.C. and to Canada,” he says.
The province contributed more than $101 million to the project, which broke ground in 2015, while the university raised $21 million through its capital campaign.
The institution was located on Granville Island for more than 30 years, but Burnett says many costly repairs were needed.
“When it starts raining inside, you know you’re in trouble,” he says. “The building was leaking. There are about 85 to 100 old fir beams that are cracked. We put metal braces on about half of that. There’s about $20 million in deferred maintenance. It goes on and on.”
Some 1,800 full-time students and another 3,000 part-timers attend Emily Carr University, which offers nine undergraduate degrees and three graduate degrees, as well as certificate and continuing studies programs.
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The Aboriginal gathering place at Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver. Photo courtesy of ECUAD.
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A painting studio at Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver. Photo courtesy of ECUAD.
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The 3-D print studio at Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver. Photo courtesy of ECUAD.
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The printmaking studio at Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver. Photo courtesy of ECUAD.
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A view of the foundry and ceramic kilns at Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver. Photo courtesy of ECUAD.
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The mezzanine level of the library and learning commons at Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver. Photo courtesy of ECUAD.
The institution turns away many more students than it accepts. “Our problem is that we are just flooded,” says Burnett. “We’d love to just grow quickly, but it’s going to take us a while to adjust to this space.”
Still, Burnett wants people to know they are welcome to drop by any time and check out what’s happening.
“What’s really important is that it was designed to be an open and public space, inviting for the community to walk in, very permeable and transparent, with lots of glazing, interior and exterior, to make people feel they can see what’s actually going on.”