Lethbridge College - Trades and Technology Renewal and Innovation Project Study

post-secondary

Lethbridge, Alberta

FWBA Architects was engaged by Lethbridge College to complete two studies in support of the planned upgrade and expansion to the existing Trades and Technologies facilities at the College. FWBA undertook to complete a Concept Design Study, and Business Case for the College to help promote the project to both the municipal and provincial government, as well as to private and corporate funders. The Business Case was specifically tailored to the goals and priorities of a number of provincial government ministries, and shortly after the publication of these studies the project was fully funded for design.

Together withGroup2, FWBA Architects approached these two studies through the lens of the industries who are the main employers for graduates of Lethbridge College’s Trades and Technologies Programs. The innovative concept design for the facility was proposed as an industrial type building structure – an open industrial plant-type space comprised of a flexible, long-span building structure. Program elements within the facility were planned to be housed within shipping containers to allow the trades programming in the school to be flexible and able to quickly adapt to changing demands in the province. A set of gantry cranes running the length of the building would be used to move partition walls and programming within the space whenever required, as well as being used to support the day-to-day operations of the school.