Enhancing the public realm.

GEC is redeveloping part of NorQuest College’s downtown location into a new green space that connects students to the surrounding community and the future West LRT expansion. The project includes the redevelopment of NorQuest College’s 108 Street streetscape and campus front door at the Civic Employees Legacy Tower (CELT), as well as a large new quad space on the southeast corner of the downtown campus. The goal of this landscape redevelopment is to unify the entire campus by creating a cohesive design aesthetic that envelops the entire campus, allowing the public to recognize this block as a distinct space within the larger urban context. The public park and streetscape are intended to create barrier-free spaces and connections, allowing people of all abilities to enjoy the various park spaces and access all of the campus buildings. The creation of flexible, passive spaces across campus will enable informal student activity and gatherings.

For the CELT’s streetscape, our design team was tasked to enhance the east, south, and west public realm at the base of the Civic Employee’s Legacy Tower with sculptural concrete walls, integrated seating, wood decks, undulating landscape and accessible walkways. Durable materials were used throughout the design to reduce the College’s ongoing maintenance requirements, and all existing trees on site were preserved within the final design. The Campus Quad, scheduled for completion in September 2022, will be an integrated outdoor gathering and event space that transforms an underutilized corner of campus into a vibrant hub of activity and connection.