Sudbury Northern Life
Laurentian University officially celebrated the opening of its new School of Education on Monday. The new building for concurrent education students, faculty and staff, also houses the music department, the School of Rural and Northern Health and the master's program in human kinetics.
"The new building is a welcome addition on campus, particularly as it is the first that will earn a LEED certification for sustainability," said Robert Bourgeois, acting president. "Students, faculty and staff at the new School work in a physical environment that inspires creativity, wellbeing and environmental responsibility — a standard we aim to achieve for all the Laurentian community in the coming years."
The new three-storey, 6,690 square-metres facility was developed at a total project cost of $19 million. The building aims to score 38 points out of a possible 69 in the areas of environmental responsibility and energy efficiency. Once the evaluation is completed, it will be one of the few installations in northern Ontario to reach the silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. Features such as a high-performance exterior envelope, superior ventilation and insulation, and natural light make the new building 65 per cent more efficient than the Model National Energy Code of Canada.
"The forward thinking that has gone into the environmental design of this building is another Laurentian first that makes this institution a unique place of learning, both encouraging northern students to continue their studies in the north, as well as drawing students from the south, and from overseas, to Sudbury," said John Milloy, minister of Training, Colleges and Universities.
"Laurentian University's new School of Education will enhance educational opportunities for local students, and go a long way to encourage students from other areas of the province to study in our beautiful northern community," said Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci.
Constructed adjacent to the Health Science Education Resource Centre, the new School of Education includes 10 teaching classrooms and labs, two smart classrooms equipped with state-of-the art-technology, two computer teaching labs, a pedagogical resource centre, rehearsal and practice rooms for music, as well as faculty and staff offices. The building also has a smudge room where students can learn about aboriginal traditions.
