Published by Communications and Public Affairs (519) 824-4120, Ext. 56982 or 53338
May 15, 2002
U of G building wins Governor General's award
The University of Guelph’s Albert A. Thornbrough Building addition has received a 2002 Governor General’s Medal in Architecture, it was announced today.
The 35,000-square-foot engineering building addition, which opened in September 2000 and was designed by Toronto architect Stephen Teeple, was one of 12 buildings honoured. Medals will be presented to the architects of the winning projects May 23 by Governor General Adrienne Clarkson.
“We are very pleased that our state-of-the-art engineering and computing centre has received this prestigious award,” said Alastair Summerlee, provost and vice-president (academic). “It is an honour for the architect and for our entire University community, which was involved in the addition’s design. It emphasizes functional space both within and around the building and provides a physical link between our engineering and computing and information sciences programs, allowing us to capitalize on existing and potential synergies.”
The Thornbrough addition enabled the University to more than double its undergraduate enrolment and double its graduate enrolment in a range of high-demand, innovative programs in biological and environmental engineering and advanced computing. The two-storey structure houses high-tech computer facilities, laboratories and a lecture theatre, and is adjacent to outdoor courtyard spaces. The building was supported by a $9.4-million investment from the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities through its Access to Opportunities Program and Hewlett-Packard (Canada) Ltd.
The Governor General’s Medals in Architecture were created by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, which represents some 3,000 architects in Canada. The medals recognize outstanding achievement in recently built projects by Canadian architects. The awards are jointly administered with the Canada Council for the Arts, which oversees more than 100 prizes and fellowships in the arts, humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, health and engineering.
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