New buildings set to replace older residence buildings and East Campus buildings in future planning

Associate professor John Lewis of the Campus Plan Steering Committee presented an update on the campus master plan at the Oct. 20 Senate meeting, including proposed demolitions and renovations for many campus buildings to come.

According to Lewis’s presentation, the new plan “envisions a humanized campus where curiosity thrives,” aiming to bring more green space to campus while promoting campus community and cohesion. The plan also proposes enhancements to walkways connecting campus to surrounding areas.

Notable proposals include the demolition of some institutional buildings and residences. These include the majority of Village 1 buildings as well as UW Place buildings Eby Hall and Beck Hall. New residence buildings and major renovations to Mackenzie King Village and Ron Eydt Village would add about 1,600 additional beds to the west and south sides of campus.

When asked about interim accommodations and workspaces for those affected by building demolitions, vice president of finance and administration Jacinda Reitsma responded that further detail will be revealed in future updates as the plan is still open to revision and input.

The demolition of East Campus buildings 1 to 5 and East Campus Hall (ECH) has also been proposed, set to be replaced by a new mixed-use east campus area with five new academic/institutional buildings and new residence buildings adding about 1,000 beds.

In the core campus area within the boundaries of Ring Road, the Arts Lecture Hall (AL), Engineering 3 (E3), and South Campus Hall (SCH) would be demolished. The Minota Hagey Residence would also be removed and replaced with a tree nursery for an arboretum, aimed at adding more green space to the central campus.

To the north of campus, the Columbia Greenhouse would be removed, two new institutional buildings would be constructed in the area, and enhanced pedestrian access and green corridors would be created to connect to the central campus.

The Campus Plan Initiative started in late 2024, completing community consultations during Phase 2 and beginning Phase 3 in September. The Steering Committee hired the firm Brook McIlroy as consultants to create the Campus Plan, which is expected to receive final approval from the Senate and Board of Governors in February 2026.

Engineering associate professor Nasser Abukhdeir expressed concerns about the lack of future upkeep of ECH due to its planned demolition, which he said gives “motivation to not maintain [the building] at the same level.” He and his office neighbour, fine arts professor Bojana Videkanic, noted that ECH has frequently recurring issues, including leaky roofs in the winter and a recent flood that destroyed students’ art projects.

“Every other month or so… it’s one thing after another,” Abukhdeir said.

Abukhdeir also cited this as part of an ongoing deferred maintenance issue at the university. “How [will] the recommendations of this plan be used… and will they affect prioritization of buildings that are clearly highly used, even if they’re unfortunately placed?”

Reitsma responded to Abukhdeir’s inquiry by stating that buildings slated as potential demolitions are not yet finalized. Reitsma also clarified that any buildings considered for demolition like ECH would not be allowed to fall into disrepair, and that the Campus Plan is a long term plan for “deciding where to invest time, money, and resources,” as a tool for identifying areas for improvement.

Videkanic also raised questions about how the new campus plan will showcase art and make public art accessible to the community, in alignment with the initiative’s stated goal of “humanizing” the campus. ECH houses a fine arts studio and gallery which, according to Videkanic, is “almost invisible” on campus due to its distance from the core area.

Videkanic connected her inquiry on a larger scale to the need for greater tangible commitment to the arts as a whole. “If the university wants to present itself as not just STEM, but STEAM [Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math], as we’ve been hearing… then… arts [and humanities] in general are key to that.”

In response to Videkanic’s inquiries about art, Lewis stated that the Campus Plan proposal brought forward by Brook McIlroy includes “Discovery and Innovation Zones” which would allow community members to view and interact with work from the university. Lewis stated that the steering committee expressed “very clearly” to the consultants the need to recognize the creative side of UW, emphasizing that “discovery and innovation also happens within the arts, humanities, and social sciences.” Reitsma added that the President’s Advisory Committee on Design will also be implementing processes for the proposal and review of public art on campus.

An open house for the Campus Plan will be held on Nov. 5 in the SLC Black and Gold Room for the public to view the plans in more detail and provide input on the proposals. More information can be found here and on the Campus Plan website here.