UBC Reports | Vol.
51 | No. 2 |
Feb. 3, 2005
In 2001, Finning International, Inc. donated 7.6 hectares
of Vancouver land to four B.C. post-secondary institutions
— UBC, SFU, BCIT and the Emily Carr Institute of Art and
Design.
Dubbed the Great Northern Way Campus (GNWC), the four institutions
are working together to build a unique and integrated centre
of excellence in teaching, learning, research and entrepreneurship.
The campus is expected to house 4,000 students by 2020.
In the area of urban sustainability, UBC and SFU will begin
offering a series of pilot courses in June and September 2005
that combines policy research with community action. Meanwhile,
with funding from UBC and the Canada Foundation for Innovation,
and further funds expected from the B.C. Knowledge Development
Fund, construction will begin on the first building of the
Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability, which will
be both a test bed for innovative sustainable building technologies
and a venue for research and teaching.
UBC and the Emily Carr Institute will soon begin offering
courses at the GNWC in theatre, industrial design and the
graphic arts. A UBC scenography class will be one of the first
occupants of the innovative Black Box Studio, a 1,500-square-metre
performance and workshop space based on the design recommendations
of the UBC department of theatre.
The Learning and Teaching Centre at BCIT is currently assisting
with a feasibility study for a proposed Master of Digital
Entertainment program at GNWC that would provide Vancouver’s
thriving electronic gaming and animation community with highly
qualified personnel.
