Location
  • Squamish, BC
Client
  • Quest University Canada
Completion
2007
Size
  • 1,714 sq m
  • 18,450 sq ft
Collaborators
  • AES Engineering
  • Bush, Bohlman & Partners
  • Scott Construction Group
DIALOG Services
  • Architecture
  • Planning & Urban Design
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Quest University, placed and operating on ancestral lands of the Squamish Nation, is in the heart of Sea to Sky country. The project began with a master plan, which led to new construction consisting of a recreation centre, a learning centre, a 350-seat dining hall, and an academic building. The juxtaposition of the campus and the mountainside created an opportunity for design focused on breathtaking views and inspired academia. Sustainable design lies at the core of the strategy, with, for example, geothermal energy distributed through a radiant slab system as the main energy source.
01/09
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Integrated planning The intimate university setting is enhanced by public spaces that are focused on the natural surroundings and framed by a linked series of small-scale buildings.
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Academic program requirements Quest delivers curriculum through an innovative ‘block plan.’  Students and Tutors are engaged in one course at a time in short ‘blocks’ of three and a half weeks.
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This model gives rise to an intense immersion with subject matter, impacting detail design of instructional space and influencing both the general layout of the campus plan and the detailed design of
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Each building contains a distinctive interior and exterior gathering place that promote a sense of community. 
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Like an intimate village, the inward and outward focused buildings feel comfortable and protected within its provocative mountain environment.
quest aerial campus
Walkways, landscaped open spaces, and large terraces link buildings with the adjacent Academic Building, Student Services Building, and multi-use Recreation Centre.
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Academic Building The Academic Building is set into the hillside allowing the natural landscape of the mountain to flow through the building.
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The building surrounds a circular exterior courtyard that slopes to follow the site contours and is open on the diagonal at the top and bottom.
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Pedestrians are able to walk through the centre of this building without having to go inside.

Meet The Team

quest university squamish sketch 01

It All Started With A Sketch

Pedestrian circulation The interior and exterior spatial strategies are intended to combine a sense of the sublime with a sense of warmth. 
quest university squamish sketch 02

It All Started With A Sketch01

Unbeatable study breaks The Academic Building contrasts the landscape with a dramatic horizontal expression - a prow to view the sublime mountains, helping create that warmth and draw students in.
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It All Started With A Sketch02

Interior and exterior circulation paths allow multiple ways of experiencing the campus, depending on weather and mood. Students can enjoy the contrast between panorama and intimate enclosure.
quest university squamish poi 01

Points of Interest 01

Bowing to nature

Geothermal energy is the main energy source and is distributed through a radiant slab system.

quest university squamish poi 02

Points of Interest 02

Siting was sensitive to the existing conditions of the landscape to minimize rock blasting while retaining the maximum number of trees.

quest university squamish poi 03

Points of Interest 03

Moreover, the design of interior and exterior spaces was governed by solar orientation.

quest university squamish special feature 01

Special Feature

A warm library Using wood was a specific and intentional design choice to bring the natural mountainside environment into the building. Wood acoustic panels are an integral and complementary part of the design.
quest university squamish special feature 02

Special Feature01

Glulam posts and beams Local Douglas fir used for the beams in the Dining Hall added beautiful colour, texture, and warmth to the space.
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Special Feature02

Locally harvested, renewable and close to hand, the fir was a very sustainable choice in the context of the project.

Awards

2008 Silver Award of Excellence, Vancouver Regional Construction Association

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