Olds College’s New Buildings are Underway

“The very essence of this building is celebration, and we can’t wait to experience the excitement and energy that will flow in and through this exciting learning space.”

Christine Chalaturnyk, Associate Dean of Werklund School of Agriculture Technology

Construction on Campus

Olds College’s New Buildings are Underway

Fostering high-tech, innovative learning and working environments, three new facilities — the Ag Tech Learning Hub, Animal Health Education Centre and Farm Shop — are underway at Olds College. These state-of-the-art buildings will expand from existing structures on campus and support new technology programming, smart ag applied research, work-integrated learning and future growth at Olds College.

Ag Tech Learning Hub

The Ag Tech Learning Hub is being redeveloped from the James Murray Building. This new building — opening September 2022 — will be the home to the new Ag Tech programming and will house the Werklund School of Agriculture Technology along with open concept learning spaces, offices and classrooms.

The Ag Tech Learning Hub will enhance the physical learning environments for students by including adaptable space for current and future technology integration. The Ag Tech Learning Hub will be 3,000 square metres of learning space — including a huge lecture space, large lab spaces, collaboration and group areas for students to use, as well as a student commons space right in the very center. Olds College students will be greatly impacted by these innovative spaces for years to come.

“The Ag Tech Learning Hub is going to be a very exciting and interactive space for teaching and learning,” Christine Chalaturnyk, Associate Dean of Werklund School of Agriculture Technology expresses. “This innovative building will be open, inviting and transparent where people will see all the exciting teaching and learning that happens in our courses.”

New Ag Tech Learning Hub rendering

ANGLE-DOWN Construction progress from August 2021 ANGLE-UP Construction progress from October 2021

Animal Health Education Centre

The Lachlin McKinnon Building, which houses the Animal Science and Animal Health programs, is currently under construction to expand into the new Animal Health Education Centre. The new building will host the Animal Science and Animal Health programs and the National Meat Training Centre along with more open concept learning spaces, offices and classrooms.

“The new Animal Health Education Centre will provide a dynamic learning space where students, animals, staff and peers will come together to feed the passion for the care of animals,” says Dalin Bullock, Dean of the School of Life Science and Business. “This unique learning environment will further leverage the skill and expertise of our staff and program curriculum as the place for Animal Health training.”

This building — opening Fall 2023 — will allow for a projected 67 per cent increase in capacity for animal health programming at the College. The first phase of the project, currently under construction, is the addition to the north east side of the existing Lachlin McKinnon Building. This new addition will house the National Meat Training Center, including the new retail meat store, and is planned to be open for the first student intake in early May 2022.

“The new National Meat Training Centre will further enhance the capacity to provide skill and expertise to the meat industry,” Bullock adds. “The new centre will have an expanded retail store to allow the public to taste the skill and innovation of this program.”

New Animal Health Education Centre rendering

Olds College Farm Shop

The current Olds College Farm Shop on campus is a repurposed hay processing facility that was designed mainly for equipment and hay storage, basic maintenance, and farm operations. With the growth of applied research in smart agriculture technology and the expansion of the Olds College Smart Farm, the Farm Shop is undergoing a major renovation in order to support the growing Smart Farm and team, student programming, and workintegrated learning.

The renovated Farm Shop will provide a highly technical, global-leading workspace for Smart Farm staff to undertake equipment repair, maintenance and smart ag project equipment modifications. It will also ensure the proper storage for the advanced equipment being used for Smart Farm operations, such as the OMNiPOWER autonomous platform.

The new Farm Shop will feature a working laboratory space for students, instructors, smart ag applied research scientists, technicians and industry partners.

“The updated Farm Shop will provide a meeting space for the Smart Farm team for strategic and tactical day-today planning to support our commercial farm and applied research activities, but it will also help us better support a teaching and learning centre of innovation,” explains Ken Miller, Olds College Smart Farm Manager. “The new facilities are designed to increase work-integrated learning opportunities for students in smart agriculture technology, and get more students involved in applied research activities.”

The renovated Farm Shop will allow for increased engagement of students, industry and staff in a positive, practical and excellencefocused environment.

New Olds College Farm Shop rendering

ANGLE-DOWN Construction progress from October 2021