BDP releases new McMaster campus plan
International design firm BDP has released its creative campus plan for McMaster University.
The plan describes a long-term vision for the campus that supports innovation, well-being, inclusion and a sense of community for more than 47,000 students, faculty and staff. It also acts as a catalyst for McMaster University to bolster its global reputation for excellence in teaching, learning and research.
The project is BDP’s first education project in North America.
The designs draw on extensive expertise from BDP’s global network of studios, including education architects from BDP Quadrangle in Toronto, BDP’s education architecture team in the UK and inclusive designers from the organization’s in-house inclusive design practice, Human Space.
The updated campus plan for McMaster aims to create a more inviting and inclusive campus experience to welcome everyone into the university grounds. Part of the plan’s vision includes reimagining entrances to be more welcoming, green and outward-facing.
With inclusive, pedestrian-focused and green design at the forefront, the campus plan also supports the City of Hamilton’s strategic objectives to provide sustainable travel.
By prioritizing integrated transit, including the planned LRT, it will increase available transport modes and enhance green city corridors. The plan also envisions providing a wide range of housing options in order to meet demands and to create vibrant, mixed-used, inclusive living communities for students, faculty and staff.
“The education sector is a changing landscape of diverging trends, driven by a significant shift in the flexible ways that students learn, work and think,” said Sue Emms, Principal and Head of Education at BDP. “This is a design rooted in sustainable connectivity that will provide a physical transformation across the campus. It is also an expression of a clear vision to create more civic space and build an effective eco-system that is engaged with Indigenous, local, national and global communities. It is a new civic face for the institution.
“Our new campus plan provides a pathway to create a living laboratory for our bold aspirations while keeping sustainability, accessibility, equity and inclusion at the forefront of how we grow,” said David Farrar, President of McMaster University. “This plan imagines places and spaces that can create impact, foster ambition and inspire transformation. We must develop in a way that reflects and supports the quality of the education and research taking place here.”