DIALOG and Two Row Architect Reveal Seneca College Health & Wellness Centre Design
Drawing inspiration from the medicine wheel, the Health and Wellness Centre will be a destination for students and employees to support their physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellness.
Seneca’s vision is to transform the decades-old Sport Centre at the east end of Newnham Campus into a dynamic multi-storey health and wellness complex that includes traditional medicines, counselling, recreation and varsity sports facilities. The Centre will also incorporate a new home for the Seneca Student Federation (SSF).
The circular shape of the design references the drum circle. The drum circle symbolizes balance, equality, wholeness and connection. At the centre of the complex, the drum circle represents a source of positive energy, bringing with it a natural rhythm to the world around it.
Funding for the Centre is coming from Seneca, the SSF and the Student Athletic Association (SAA). The SSF and SAA contributions have been funded through capital fees contributed by students over many years.
The Centre will represent the next phase of development at Newnham Campus, complementing the award-winning LEED Gold-certified Centre for Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship, known as CITE, and the award-winning Odeyto Indigenous Centre.
The dynamic design based on Indigenous principles will be an engaging space that supports a diverse range of activities aiming to enrich the student community. “It’s such a wonderful way of not only connecting and reconciling Indigenous and settler cultures, but also of providing a gateway to imagine what the reconciled future Canada might look and feel like,” shares Craig Applegath, partner and architect at DIALOG.
With green building practices at the forefront of its design, the proposal offers mass timber, rainwater harvesting, solar and geothermal energy, renewable building materials and green roofing. The vibrant space is an expression and embodiment of holistic health, bringing together all Seneca students and staff at the heart of the campus.
Subject to approval by the provincial government, demolition of current facilities is slated for winter this year, with an estimated building completion in 2026.
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