Profile Type: Schools & Universities Location: Moncton, New Brunswick
Overlooking the entire Moncton Campus, the former orphanage has housed the university’s administration and student services since the mid-sixties. Apart from minor interior and exterior renovations little had been done over the years to accommodate changing needs. Serving the student population, academic staff and receiving visitors, the Administration Building needed to be a Campus focal point, inviting and progressive, with a sense of place for the public.
The five storey masonry box was given a facelift and provided with a dramatic new entrance that addresses the Campus. The small budget required gestures that maximized design impact. The campus context is clearly established through the blend of materials and textures, buff brick banded by natural sandstone adjacent a transparent curtain wall entry. The generous foyer provides access to the main floor level where bookstore, cafeteria, student finance, and banking facilities are easily accessed, as well as newly renovated meeting rooms. Bright interior colors and discreet crisp lighting help animate the spaces.
