March 31, 2025

Peterborough, ON - Visions are coming into focus for Trent University’s newest college, Gidigaa Migizi College, and a new Otonabee College residence. Designed by Diamond Schmitt, the plans for the new academic facility and student residences will respect the tradition of Ron Thom and his design for the original Symon’s Campus masterplan—embracing the architectural language and materiality of the existing buildings.

Gidigaa Migizi College will serve as a hub for academic programming and student living. Together with the renewal of Otonabee College residences, modernized student housing will be a feature of both new buildings. Accessibility features and increased capacity to address the demand for on-campus living experiences will inform the student residences, developed by Knightstone Capital Management.

An integrated landscape and flow for the footprint of the two buildings will highlight thoughtful layouts of expanded indoor and outdoor common areas, such as a covered outdoor pavilion for community gathering and learning. As part of designing the surrounding public realm, the redirection of vehicle traffic will strengthen connections to the Otonabee River and further prioritize pedestrian movement on campus.

The architectural plans for the new college and Otonabee College residences will incorporate sustainability features that honour Trent’s long-standing reputation as an environmental leader, including a geothermal heating and cooling system. The buildings will also aim to achieve LEED Gold certification. Sustainable building practices will be integrated into both buildings, aligning with Trent’s environmental goals, ensuring an energy-efficient and forward-thinking campus infrastructure. 

Indigenous architectural firm Two Row Architect is leading consultations with Indigenous communities and groups on campus to inform the integration of Indigenous culture and significance in the design. Two Row prepared a Findings Document reporting on feedback gathered from a series of Talking Circles with First Peoples House of Learning, the Chanie Wenjack School for Indigenous Studies, and local Indigenous Elders from the Alderville First Nations, Hiawatha First Nation, the Curve Lake First Nation, and the Mississauga’s of Scugog Island. Feedback from the report will be integrated into architectural elements and designs, to be shared at future consultations.  

Read the full press release here.