The Manitou a bi Bii daziigae at Red River College Polytechnic has officially opened on the university’s Winnipeg campus.
The project, formerly known as the Innovation Centre Project and designed by Diamond Schmitt and Number TEN Architectural Group in a joint venture, will bring together students with education and industry professionals in new ways that facilitate social innovation, enterprise, and innovative research.
The 10,000-sf facility unites a repurposed downtown concrete framed heritage building and a new construction to create an engaging crossroads in Winnipeg’s historic Exchange District. The building will house a combination of Indigenous and international student spaces, long distance teaching equipped classrooms, digital media labs and events spaces, and faculty offices.
The heart of Manitou a bi Bii daziigae is the agora. The agora is conceived as a place for campus-wide events as well as for group and quiet study. All programs overlook the agora while diagonal circulation invites its crossing and is supported by the collaboration areas that surround it. The sky-lit atrium above the agora blinds diffuse light to the center of the plan. A collaboration zone acts as a front porch between classrooms, the agora, and the atrium. The porch can be used by the classrooms, as a breakout room or project room, or independently booked by students for study groups.
The west corner of the new building is anchored by the 210-seat Roundhouse auditorium. The auditorium has a high degree of flexibility with an acoustically isolated space for ceremonial events, instruction, or celebration. At the roof level is the City Room, a beacon enveloped in a canvas of color representing traditional Indigenous teachings and local history.
The building’s facade is made of Kromatix Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) panels that change color depending on the angle of view and the weather. The facade, which is the first in Canada, conceals the solar cells behind nano-coated glass panels.
The facility’s name translates to where creator sits (Manitou a bi) and brings light (Bii daziigae).
Related Stories
University Buildings | Aug 20, 2019
Oglethorpe University officially opens the I.W. 'Ike' Cousins Center for Science and Innovation
Cooper Carry designed the building.
University Buildings | Aug 13, 2019
Columbus State Community College’s Mitchell Hall set to open for the coming semester
DesignGroup designed the project.
Giants 400 | Aug 13, 2019
2019 Science + Technology Giants Report: Operational flexibility is a must for S+T buildings
The science and technology (S+T) sector is arguably the industry’s most complex because it caters to a diverse clientele with specific priorities and imperatives, according to Building Design+Construction's 2019 Giants 300 Report.
University Buildings | Aug 8, 2019
New Student Wellness Center at the University of Chicago begins construction
Wight & Company is providing design-build services for the project.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Aug 6, 2019
St. Edward’s University Recreation and Athletic Center addition adds 12,400 sf to existing athletic center
Specht Architects designed the project.
University Buildings | Jul 10, 2019
Campus costs: Square foot construction prices for student unions
Using RSMeans data from Gordian, here are the most recent costs per square foot of college student unions in 10 college cities across the U.S.
University Buildings | Jul 3, 2019
Duke’s new Chinese campus sits atop a manmade lake
Gensler and LandDesign designed the project.
University Buildings | Jul 2, 2019
New Biomedical Research Center Facility at Northwestern University
Designed by Perkins+Will, the Louis A. Simpson and Kimberly K. Querrey Biomedical Research Center has spaces aiding medical discovery.
Contractors | Jun 15, 2019
Turner tops off new classroom space at Middle Tennessee State University
The building includes a “command center” for training students to interact with emergency personnel.
University Buildings | May 29, 2019
Gonzaga University’s Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center opens
New building includes interactive exhibit in tribute to the center’s donor.