Education/training
Centennial centre earns Governor General's MedalCentennial College's innovative new student centre won the Governor General's Medal for Architecture. |
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 [ 2002-05-22 ] |
Centennial College's innovative new student centre won the Governor General's Medal for Architecture.
The Centennial College Student Association, together with architect Alar Kongats, have scored one of 12 coveted project awards at the 2002 Governor General's Medals in Architecture competition.
They won for the design of Centennial's new student centre and were selected from a field of 148 entries.
Owned and operated entirely by the Centennial College Student Association Inc., (CCSAI), the Centre is the culmination of more than 10 years of lobbying, fundraising and planning.
In 1993, the Student Association commissioned Architects Kongats Phillips (now Kongats Architects) to design the building and manage its construction.
The new Centre opened in November 2000. This is the second award for the student centre. This spring, the centre also earned an Architectural Excellence Award from the Ontario Association of Architects.
"Our goal was to meet the needs of Centennial's diverse population with a building that is universal, flexible and accessible," says Alar Kongats, principal of Kongats Architects. "We stayed committed to that vision every step of the way."
"This Student Centre is now home to more than 6,000 students who visit Progress Campus daily," says Anthony Fletcher, president of the CCSAI. "With our population diversity, and with so many functional needs to address, we needed a centre that's inclusive to all -- and Kongats truly delivered."
Decidedly urban in design, the two-storey, 3,200-sq.-m. building sits at the edge of the Hwy. 401, and unlike its highway neighbors that hide from the view, it embraces its environment with grace and form.
The Centre houses a study mezzanine, an open-access computer lab, special events and meeting rooms, administrative offices and a food court.
"The student centre is a tremendous accomplishment of a determined and capable student body, combined with a talented and visionary architectural firm. We are very proud of our students' success." says Richard Johnston, president of Centennial College.
In 1991, the student association organized a student referendum to gain an approval for the concept, and the rest is history: they raised the money, planned the project, hired the architect, oversaw the entire process and continue to successfully manage the centre's operations.
The winners of the 2002 Governor General's Medals in Architecture competition will be presented with their medal by Her Excellency the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada, on Thursday, May 23 at a special ceremony at Rideau Hall at 10 a.m.
"Architecture has an important role to play in a country in which nature is so dominant and our people diverse," said Governor General Adrienne Clarkson.
"Architects help us to find a language of environment appropriate to our lives."
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