The guiding principle of the design is to extend the existing college campus to seamlessly integrate with the new university, arranged around a central quadrangle and colonnade. Within this framework, the movement of rainwater – from its source on rooftops and parking lots, to its release to Oshawa Creek or re-use in irrigation – organizes and articulates the landscape design. The resulting storyboard defines the campus structure and character, inspiring the visual and functional components of the exterior spaces. Stepped linear wetlands, scupper bays, bioswales and storm ponds complete with waterside decks, bridges and outlooks are knitted into the fabric of the site to engage and inform the campus users.

The integration of ordered sustainable design principles reinforces the University’s commitment to learning, teaching and professional practice in a technologically progressive environment. The goal is a campus framework that allows for flexible expansion of the new university within the existing college setting. In future phases, the addition of new residences will promote the genesis of the campus from a commuter college to a sustainable educational village.

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