Emily Carr University's New Great Northern Way Campus to Cost $134 Million
/Premier Christy Clark announced today that the BC government's investment in a new campus at Great Northern Way for Emily Carr University of Art + Design (ECUAD) will be up to $113 million. The university and other donors will contribute additional funds, with the overall project cost totalling approximately $134 million.
Emily Carr will be seeking a team to design, build, finance and maintain the new campus. The competitive selection process is expected to begin in February with the release of a Request for Qualifications (RFQ).
“Emily Carr's Great Northern Way Campus will be at the centre of a new social, cultural, educational, entertainment and economic engine for British Columbia. This is a historic moment for our institution and for championing creativity and innovation in our province,” said Dr. Ron Burnett, president and vice-chancellor, Emily Carr University of Art + Design. “The government of BC’s investment in a purpose-built campus will provide students, faculty and the community a world class state-of-the-art facility for 21st-century learning. It will be a home to match our global reputation as a leader in art, design, media and applied research.”
“The creative sector is a significant contributor to the province’s gross domestic product,” said Bill Bennett, Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development. “The new media and design facility at Emily Carr will enable the university’s graduates to continue making a major contribution to this important sector of British Columbia’s economy.”
Construction on the project is due to start in May 2014 and is expected to be complete by July 2016, creating an estimated 1,500 jobs during construction.
A new campus for ECUAD was promised in the Gordon Campbell government's 2010 throne speech.
ECUAD jointly owns the Great Northern Way Campus with the British Columbia Institute of Technology, the University of British Columbia, and Simon Fraser University. The campus at Great Northern Way and East 1st Avenue in the False Creek Flats currently houses the Centre for Digital Media.
