The University of Calgary will be the scene of a large construction effort this summer that will eventually revitalize the heart of campus, according to officials.
Crews will continue their work on the U of C’s MacKimmie Tower and Block buildings, which are being redeveloped. The multi-year project will eventually allow new classrooms, study spaces and a student services centre to be housed in the two buildings.
“It is one of the bigger projects in recent history for the University of Calgary,” said Jane Ferrabee, the U of C’s architect.
In the next few months, crews will work on the exterior of the tower and prepare it for “a new double-skin facade,” according to Ferrabee. Once exams are completed, crews will also begin to dig up Swann Mall, which is adjacent to the buildings.
“We have some storm and sanitary sewers that have to come out of there,” Ferrabee said. “They’re old, they need replacing, so that kind of activity will be happening.
“Then they’ll do a rough re-grade of the site in preparation for its final landscape plan.”
The project began in 2017 and has a $290-million budget. The tower is slated to be open by fall 2019, while the block is expected to be open by 2022.
Ryan Wallace, a U of C Student Union vice president, said he thinks the buildings will serve as a selling point for prospective students.
“It will be good to see a kind of face-lift to the centre of campus,” Wallace said.