Emily Carr University of Art + Design

When Emily Carr University of Art + Design moved east from its longstanding home base on Vancouver’s Granville Island, the school needed a building worthy of its prestigious reputation. This building-as-campus accommodates 26,700 square metres of state-of-the-art learning spaces, including classrooms, art studios, workshops, art galleries, lecture theatre, student commons, multiple collaboration atria, outdoor plazas, and administration spaces. The project was completed as a public-private partnership (P3) that included Diamond Schmitt Architects, Chernoff Thompson Architects, and EllisDon Construction. The project was successfully delivered through a fast-track sequential tender approach to meet the University’s tight move schedule.

The structure is constructed predominantly from concrete with steel and heavy timber roofs, including extensive articulation with vaulted clerestories over the studios. The Bush Bohlman team devised a robust open-plan structural system, allowing multiple programs requiring a myriad of criteria—including daylighting, vibration, and sound isolation—into an integrated single building campus that supports the ‘make and remake’ flexible design philosophy of the University. The site was densified using Rapid Impact Compaction, and mat foundations on compacted stone piles supported the building loads to address the soft False Creek Flats soils. The building’s lower floor was also raised to be above the flood plain elevation.

The sustainable new school campus is a multifaceted building that supports the school’s commitment to excellence and innovation in visual arts, media arts, and design.