December 19, 2025

Fanshawe College Innovation Village is featured in The Architect’s Newspaper among the top façades of 2025, as part of the annual roundup of standout projects covered by the publication in the past year.

“At Fanshawe College—one of Ontario’s largest public institutions of higher education—Diamond Schmitt has situated a new building, known as the Innovation Village, at the center of the campus. Surrounded by the school’s existing brick buildings, the new structure is distinguished by its scale and bold blue color. Diamond Schmitt’s intervention also boasts a number of high-performance features, including the use of building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) panels and an exposed mass timber portico”, the article notes.

Distinguished by a dynamic blue colour, the building’s façade offers more than aesthetics. Wrapped in a custom Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) cladding system, the envelope serves as an on-site renewable energy source, helping to power the facility. Unlike standard black solar panels, this envelope system incorporates a nanotechnology surface treatment that allows for a coloured surface that changes in tone with the weather and angle of view.

Read the full article on The Architect’s Newspaper.