On Wednesday Nov. 5, members of the project team from design firm Brook McIlroy held an Open House in SLC’s Black and Gold Room to gather public feedback for the current Campus Plan. The initiative is now in its final phase, with the final vote of approval from the university Senate and Board of Governors occurring in early 2026.

“I think they’re doing a pretty good job of taking students into the fold,” planning student Raunak Dhillon said about Brook McIlroy’s approach to gathering feedback at the Open House. Many students, through over fifteen notes left on display boards, appreciated the plan’s commitment to more physical spaces that enhance campus community and cohesion, a frequent request from students over the past few years. The current proposal emphasizes sustainable outdoor social spaces and landmarks to help students navigate campus.

The firm is the prime consultant for the Campus Plan initiative, described by its website as a “long-term roadmap” for the University of Waterloo’s campus and how the physical space would “evolve to support learning, research, community, and sustainability.”

Anne McIlroy, principal and one of the partners of Brook McIlroy, spoke at the Open House and presented key points from the current proposal. “We believe in the value of face-to-face learning and physical collaboration … Universities are the higher learning platform for that,” McIlroy told Imprint. “We must continue to create these spaces that have existed for millennia … [that] create togetherness and belonging [as well as] the ability to learn in a deep and meaningful way.”

The event included a 3D model of the proposed main campus, marking future outdoor spaces as well as new buildings that would be built in the next 10 to 30 years. Viewers could provide written feedback through sticky notes on display boards, each of which highlighted a different section of the future campus.

Several students stated that the current campus can be difficult to navigate, both as incoming students and even after becoming familiar with building locations. “The first time I came to [the University of] Waterloo, I felt pretty lost,” planning student Raunak Dhillon stated about the current campus. Dhillon welcomes the idea of prominent gateways marking each main entrance to campus, with other planning students expressing similar hopes that the new campus plan will include more navigational aids, such as 3D models that better indicate indoor tunnel locations.

Dhillon also supports replacing the older Village 1 residence buildings, saying that it would be “definitely a plus in the long term” as the residence is decades old and “pretty crusty.” Dhillon and other students also expressed enthusiasm about new amenities that improve campus life, such as a research hospital and a larger grocery store on campus.

However, attendees also felt wary about the future costs of the plan, especially in a time of financial uncertainty. “Immediately, my knee-jerk reaction is [related to] the fact that the university currently has a $75 million deficit,” Dhillon said at the event. Another graduate student in planning hoped that outdoor space planning would be mindful of incurred expenses, stating that maintenance costs for grassy areas during the winter would be unsustainable if the Arts Quad outside Dana Library were to be completely revamped into a green space.

Project manager Ranee Leung from Brook McIlroy said that she and the Campus Plan team have been working with the university on that front. “The governance structure surrounding that and how to communicate that has been a huge concern; a lot of it is confidential regarding the finances,” she stated. Leung noted that while designing a future plan with many unknown variables is challenging, “we still want the plan to be flexible enough, so that when a situation arises, the university will know what its priorities are.”

During the Q&A following McIlroy’s presentation, five out of six audience members selected to ask questions expressed concerns about the future of the Arts Lecture Hall, one of the buildings proposed to be demolished with no concrete details on its replacement. Aside from the lecture hall itself holding sentimental value for the UW community, the loss of a building dedicated to the faculty of arts would be difficult to bear, says Dhillon.

“[The faculty of arts] is less likely to be donated to, generally,” he said, compared to other faculties that receive donor funding for new buildings that can accommodate faculty operations when older buildings are renovated or demolished. He added that even as an environment student, “there is definitely a fear” of the arts being forgotten in the plan, especially as the arts are not always a priority in a university chiefly known for its work in STEM disciplines.

Leung said that this was a marked change from previous feedback gathered. “During our first two open houses, a lot of students wanted [the Arts Lecture Hall] gone … This is the first time I’ve heard people advocating for it,” Leung said at the event. She observed students also had “very strong attitudes towards other specific buildings“ like South Campus Hall, which will be taken into account in proposal revisions ahead of the final draft.

“We welcome all feedback that comes in—stay involved [and] stay engaged,” Leung said. Those who want to stay up-to-date with updates on the plan can sign up for the mailing list here and read more about the plan on the Campus Plan website here.