September 22, 2011 - 9:02pm
Victoria Times Colonist, Sept. 23
Story by Sandra McCulloch
Vancouver Island University's $30-million Cowichan campus opened Thursday with members of Cowichan Tribes playing a leading role.
A ceremony featured dancing, singing and prayers by First Nations representatives. It also included standard fare, such as a ribboncutting, cake and tours of the facility.
The structure, designed by Victoria architect Shiv Garyali, features engineered timber and concrete on land that formerly was home to the Cowichan Exhibition.
The 4,131-square-metre, three-storey campus is 45 per cent larger than the former facility, a collection of small buildings on Cowichan Way, next to the Cowichan River.
Sustainable building features include ultra low-flow plumbing fixtures, geothermal heat pumps, radiant infloor heating and cooling, automatic ventilation systems and a roof-top park featuring native plants, irrigated by captured rain-water. More than 90 per cent of student work stations have access to daylight and outdoor views.
Read more: http://www.timescolonist.com/University+Cowichan+campus+opens/5447302/st...
Tags: In the Community
