Recently, Stantec presented two projects at the 2018 World Architecture Festival (WAF) in Amsterdam. Stantec faced stiff competition; the event attracted more than 400 presenters in 43 categories. The 130+ judges representing more than 35 countries included Meisa Batayneh Manni, principal and founder of Maisam Architecture & Engineers; Patrick Bellew, founding director, Atelier Ten; Alison Brooks, principal and creative director, Alison Brooks Architects; and Sir David Adjaye OBE, principal, Adjaye Associates.
Stantec’s two projects, Cambridge Memorial Hospital redevelopment and the University of Lethbridge Science and Academic Building (designed with KPMB Architects), were selected and shortlisted for the WAF from more than 1,100 entries across 81 countries.
The Stantec Architecture Cambridge Memorial Hospital redevelopment project was the only Canadian entry out of the six competitors in the Health – Future Project category.
“Hospitals are incredibly complex facilities whose intricacies often result in banal environments supportive of technology, but not of human experience,” says Eugene Chumakov, project architect for Stantec. “So, we set out to design a place that transcends that complexity, finding the inspiration points that connect people to community. By doing so, we move beyond a place focused on health treatment towards the creation of a new community heart—a place you’re just as likely to visit for coffee with friends as to receive medical treatment.”
The Cambridge Memorial Hospital project is inspired by the rivers, landscape and communities that are integral to the city. Patients and staff will enjoy the calming influence of nature, from the hospital’s site on the bank of the Grand River.
Stantec’s second entry in the WAF was designed by KPMB|Stantec – Architects in Association. The University of Lethbridge’s Science and Academic Building competed as the sole Canadian entry and against 12 other projects in the Education – Future Project category.
“Creating an interdisciplinary science environment was both complex and simple—it came down to creating places for people to connect at various scales and at different moments throughout the day,” says Justin Saly, project manager for Stantec. “The result is a building full of activity and life, that connects visually to the campus and landscape beyond, and truly puts science on display.”
The Science and Academic Building, a 38K square metre project valued at $220 million, is designed to foster trans-disciplinary research and knowledge, bringing the scientific community to the public and making it more accessible. The suggested “open science” plan calls for wet and dry labs to sit alongside public atriums, instead of the more traditional labs that are hidden from public view.
“Our work is founded in the idea of community,” said Leonard Castro, executive vice president for Stantec’s Buildings practice, “so it is incredibly gratifying to be recognized on the world stage for achieving excellence in design and execution of these valued and respected community projects.”
While Stantec did not win in the two categories in which it presented, the Edmonton-based firm has much to be proud of when it comes to world-class, innovative architecture and design.
