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Ivey building forcing campus rec to get ‘creative’

August 5, 2009
By Shreya Tekriwal

The Richard Ivey School of Business’ new building project is causing ripples.
Designed with the latest green technology, the construction of the new, $100-million Richard Ivey School of Business building will begin in August.
With $50 million being funded by the Canadian and Ontario governments, Western will be contributing $22.5 million to the new infrastructure project. Additionally,

Ivey plans on raising approximately $27.5 million through private donations to further fund the construction.
According to Eric Morse, associate dean at Ivey, the main reason for constructing a new building is due to the institution’s rapid growth.
“There has been a growth of 60 per cent in the last four years and [Ivey] is expected to double in size in the near future,” Morse said. “We are currently spread out in a number of buildings on campus and one off-campus. The new building will allow bringing everybody back together [and build community].”
Morse also added the new building will be more student-centered, with both formal and informal spaces for students to meet with their groups.
While Ivey reaps the benefits of its new building, other groups on campus are feeling less positive effects of the construction project.
Since the building will be occupying Brescia University College’s soccer fields, athletic coordinators at Western are dealing with some changes as well.
“As soon as the site for the Ivey building was chosen and approved by the Board last fall, the dean of health sciences was notified and preliminary ideas for the relocation of the [soccer] fields [and improvement of the] baseball diamond at Westminster … were put together,” said Fred Longstaffe, VP academic.
“The plan consists of two soccer fields behind the stadium that are of equal or better quality than the current ones, lights and improvements to the baseball diamond at Westminster and new sod on the two practice fields across from the Labatt Health Sciences Building,” he added.
Intramurals coordinator Dave Trudelle is excited for the new Ivey building, despite the loss of soccer fields.
“I think [the project] is really exciting for this campus. [However], it is causing us to be creative with scheduling for summer programs.”
Campus recreation has been forced to cut short some of its summer intramural programming. In order to fit in the necessary number of games before construction begins, leagues such as intramural softball are rescheduling games for multiple nights a week, different than what was originally promised to teams during registration.
Despite summer interruptions, Longstaffe assured that upon confirmation of the government funding in May 2009, Sports and Recreation Services, Physical Plant and Capital Planning division formed a plan to ensure fall term programs in campus recreation would not be adversely impacted.
The TD Waterhouse Stadium will also be made available to Campus Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics during the transition period.
Also excited for the new Ivey building is Brescia’s principal Colleen Hanycz. “It is going to be a beautiful addition to Western’s campus as well as the Brescia vista,” she said.
Despite projections, which locate the new building on the soccer fields in front of Brescia, Hanycz said the architect’s vision respects Brescia’s landscape and successfully integrates the structure into the pastoral grounds.
While Western is technically dealing with a piece of its own property, Hanycz said the university has made an effort to incorporate Brescia as stakeholders in the planning process.
“Western has certainly kept us up to date with any developments … they have been generous in recognizing the 90 year partnership Western and Brescia have had,” she added.
Once the business school moves, the current Ivey building is expected to be occupied by another faculty or support unit. According to Longstaffe, while several faculties have already expressed an interest in the additional space, the future of the building will be determined through the university’s budget and capital planning process.

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