“Unlike the Burnaby campus, the Vancouver campus is in the middle of the city,” says Tretinik, who designed and oversaw implementation of the upgrades. “Students were missing that aspect of being outdoors and asked to see more elements of nature incorporated into campus, so we added lots of wood and greenery to our designs.”
“The study lounges were also designed with a focus on accessibility,” says Laya Behbahani, director of the SEI. “With our SEI projects, we want to ensure that all students feel comfortable using the spaces, and that they feel a real sense of belonging during their time at SFU.”
And that's not all...
In addition to the mural and student lounges, there are several other campus improvements underway at the Vancouver campus, including the addition of bookable study spaces in the Harbour Centre library, washroom renovations on the seventh floor, and a project to incorporate digital signage across the campus. This fall, construction will start on a new graduate research commons, giving graduate students a dedicated place on campus to work on research and access library support.
While juggling all these projects has been quite a feat, the facilities team wants to ensure that students, staff and faculty feel welcomed upon their eventual return to campus.
“We know lots of people have found it challenging to work and study from home during COVID-19, so we’ve put special care into these projects,” says Tretinik.
“I really think we’ve created a beautiful campus experience for them to enjoy once we move back to in-person classes and services.”