The Intelligence Factory

The new Engineering V building seeks to create a dramatic showcase for the creative labours of the Waterloo Engineering faculty. Utilizing the typology of the daylight factory, the new building creates a singular architectural presence wherein four engineering departments and a state-of-the-art student design centre are housed.

Phase 1 of the project consists of a 175,000 square foot, 6 storey concrete structure located outside the campus ring road. The design focused on providing a durable and adaptable structure as the needs of the University are growing to suit an expanding graduate program.

The majority of the building consists of conventional offices, labs and classrooms on the upper four floors. The lower two floors feature a state of the art design workshop centre where students can express their design creativity in a ‘hands on’ environment. In keeping with the industrial nature of the space, the design workshop features architecturally exposed concrete structural framing.

To tie the new facility to the existing campus, the project also includes a pedestrian bridge link from the new building to the third floor of the existing Engineering III Building to the west, spanning over the rail road tracks and ring road. The bridge link consists of a long span steel vierendeel truss structure.

This structure is a showcase of fusion between sound technical engineering details and creative architectural touches.