May 6, 2020

TORONTO – Without the fanfare or photo-ops typical of a groundbreak ceremony, construction is underway at the University of Calgary on a new home for the Haskayne School of Business.

Diamond Schmitt Architects in association with Gibbs Gage Architects designed the innovative learning environment called Mathison Hall, set to rise next to the School’s Scurfield Hall, which will be renovated as part of the $90-million project.

Mathison Hall will be a four-storey, 10,000-square-metre facility with fully accessible and connected space for lectures, group work and experiential learning configured around a spacious atrium. Daylight and views will penetrate this central core lined with fully glazed classrooms and meeting rooms beneath large sawtooth clerestory windows.

“The technologically enhanced state-of-the-art spaces will add a dozen new classrooms ranging in size from 40 to 100 seats as well as new spaces for study, group work, student advising, food services and events,” said David Dow, Principal, Diamond Schmitt Architects.

Mathison Hall will also be a leader in sustainable design, targeting LEED Platinum through a comprehensive and integrated strategy that includes a south-facing double facade, glulam curtain wall, thermal mass, natural ventilation, and daylight autonomy.

When Haskayne’s Scurfield Hall opened in 1986, the school had approximately 1,000 students taking courses in traditional lecture halls. By 2022, when the new facility opens, the school is projecting to have 4,000 students.

“This is a critical time for the school to expand in support of our strategic growth and bold vision and will add significant capacity for unparalleled learning, innovative research and meaningful community engagement,” said Haskayne Dean Jim Dewald. “We are creating a home for our students and bringing all business classes back to the business school with new places to collaborate, study and learn.”

Construction protocols have been updated in recent weeks in light of the distancing measures now commonplace. The university and its contractor have been in close contact with Alberta Occupational Health and Safety to implement safe working practices.

For the University of Calgary, Diamond Schmitt previously designed the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning (2016), a highly adaptable facility for the advancement of pedagogical study, and the expansion of the Schulich School of Engineering (2016), which modernized and integrated the school around the new Canadian Natural Resources Limited Engineering Complex.