Northwest Community College’s Smithers Campus open By Lisa Fattori
NWCC Smithers Campus – main entrance from Columbia Street.
Front entrance on Second Avenue to Northwest Community College’s new Smithers Campus.
Cutting the ribbon to officially open NWCC’s Smithers Campus is (from left): NWCC Rhoda Witherly, Board of Governors chairperson; Vancouver-Fairview MLA Margaret MacDiarmid; Wet’suwet’en Chief Gyologet Darlene Glaim; and NWCC president and CEO, Dr. Denise Henning.
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Ops Talk • Spring 2012
In September 2011, students at Northwest Community College’s (NWCC) Smithers Campus began classes in a newly expanded and renovated building that offers state-of-the-art facilities and enhanced programming. The $16.7-million project is a Knowledge Infrastructure Program (KIP) project that was jointly funded by the provincial and federal governments. Construction of the school was completed in June 2011, with an official grand-opening celebration that took place September 23rd. “Northwest B.C. is experiencing a major economic boom right now, with 15 billion dollars in major projects and investment being poured into the region,” says Kristine Kofoed, NWCC director of public relations and communications. “There are several mining, hydro and pipeline projects happening in this area and Northwest Community College is training students for these new job opportunities. The opening of this expanded campus couldn’t have come at a better time – it’s a fantastic time to live and learn in the northwest.” The existing single-storey, 8,000-square-foot Smithers building was renovated and joined seamlessly with a new twostorey, 20,000-square-foot structure. The extra space accommodates additional classrooms, wet and dry science labs, a multi-purpose shop for trades programs, a larger library, a computer lab, an improved student services area and one flexibleuse lab. With the addition of science labs and a shop, there are long-term plans to extend programming to include university credit science courses such as biology, geography and geology, as well as building-trade courses, heavy-equipment operator programs and do-it-yourself courses. Common areas include a two-storey gathering space and a two-storey galleria. The themes of mining, forestry and First Nations culture are represented throughout, via the use of wood elements, rock display and First Nations art, including a 28-foot red cedar totem pole. “The primary structure of the building is heavy timber, which supports the Government of B.C.’s Wood First initiative,” says Curtis Knichel, MAIBC, senior architect with CEI Architecture Planning Interiors. “Wood is also used for the roof deck in the public areas and for a portion of the exterior cladding on the building. The existing building also has a combination of cedar siding, metal siding and glass, for a new building envelope that blends seamlessly with the addition.” Built to achieve a LEED® Gold standard, the college incorporates several green features that not only improve the energy efficiency of the building, but also create a more healthy and
