The Innovation Village at Fanshawe College is a new vibrant and collaborative space that caters to the different ways people learn. The 128,000-square-foot facility transforms and expands the College’s core, creating a new campus hub that brings together students, professors and professionals from across the College, and broader community, to engage in cross-disciplinary collaboration and foster unique industry partnerships. Student and Indigenous engagement has informed the building’s design, visually and spatially, establishing a dynamic learning environment that is inclusive, accessible, and flexible to support diverse programming.

Located at the centre of the campus, the Innovation Village brings together previously disconnected spaces to create a new heart for Fanshawe College. Drawing on the incubator space model, the design reflects the College’s academic approach which is focused on hands-on, experiential learning.

At the core of the Innovation Village is the Canada Life Village Square – a full-height multipurpose agora that is positioned at the crossroads of all of the campus’s major corridors. This welcoming central forum has retractable seating and can be used for guest lectures or pitch presentations, as an exhibition space, classroom, study space, or student lounge.

Flexibility and openness continue with the two-storey Forwell Hall, a major event space run by the student union that can be used for trade shows, fashion shows, or as a student lounge. Opening to courtyards to the north and south, it offers throughviews and is characterized by a two-storey curtain wall system supported by wood glulam columns.

A new Library Learning Commons demonstrates the College’s commitment to inclusivity, and support for its more than 400—and growing—Indigenous students. It is home to the Kalihwíyo Circle (Kalihwíyo is from the Oneida (OnΛyota’a:ka) language meaning ‘good message’) – the Indigenous Spirit Assembly, and introduces Indigenous presence into the built fabric of the campus. Its circular formation creates a safe, feeling of trust and the gracious sharing of culture.

With a focus on sustainability, Innovation Village is enveloped in a custom BIPV cladding that provides on-site renewable energy that powers the building.