The second phase of construction of Laurentian University’s School of Architecture in downtown Sudbury is set to begin this month.
In the first phase of construction, the former Market Square building at the corner of Elm and Elgin streets and the CP telegraph building next door were renovated to house students and faculty last September.
Work on the project's second phase — a $23.9 million, 55,000 square foot purpose-built building for the architecture school — kicked off with a March 20 groundbreaking.
The new facility will be located on the same downtown site as the buildings currently used by the program. It's expected to be ready in 18 months, in time for the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year.
Founding director Terrance Galvin said he's arranged for the contractor — Bondfield Construction — to show the students around the construction site once a month.
They'll learn both about the progress being made, and problems that need to be corrected. “You rarely get that opportunity as a student in an architecture class,” Galvin said.
The new building will include a lecture hall which will also be available for use for public events, classrooms, studio space and a library. There will also be an inner courtyard and public walkway.
