Facility Facelift

Brandon University is currently exploring a multi-million dollar upgrade to the Brodie Science building.

The John R. Brodie Science Centre was constructed in 1969 and consists of 137,000 square feet over approximately 5.5 floors. The existing building no longer meets the needs of the Faculty of Science, nor the broader BU community.

Preliminary Assessment and Conceptual Design Recommendations

The Brodie Building under construction in 1969. Photo courtesy of the S.J. McKee Archives.

In Spring 2018, Prairie Architects and their team comprising of Manshield Construction, Wolfrom Engineering Ltd. and SMS Engineering were selected to undertake a preliminary assessment of the John R. Brodie Science Centre and make conceptual design recommendations related to teaching and research space needs of the Faculty of Science and broader BU community.

The architects and engineers conducted on-site reviews to assess the Brodie Science Centre and drafted a comprehensive quantitative Existing Building Condition Assessment.

The team then gathered more specific user and department focused information through an online survey and a series of department chair interviews to compile a quantitative and qualitative User Data Summary.

The team produced two conceptual design recommendations to meet the established $20M and $40M budget thresholds and presented them to the Science Faculty Planning Committee (SPFC) in early December.

Campus Consultation

A Campus Consultation meeting was held on January 15 to allow the broader campus community to review the conceptual design recommendations, attend a formal presentation and ask questions.

The Campus Consultation feedback will be included in the final report that will be presented to the BU Board of Governors in March of 2019.

As BU works through this process, a significant level of consultation and communication with the campus community will be necessary.