Wilfred Laurier University’s Lazaridis Hall, designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects in association with David Thompson Architects, has been recognized with a Civic Trust Award.
The Civic Trust Awards are the longest-running built environment awards program in Europe. They recognize projects that demonstrate excellence in architecture, sustainability and universal design and that make a positive social, cultural, environmental or economic benefit to the local community. Lazaridis Hall is the only Canadian building and one of only two buildings in North America to receive a 2018 Civic Trust Award. Winners will be presented with their awards at a ceremony in March in Manchester, England.
“Lazaridis Hall represents a new heart of campus life and is designed with simple, strong forms that articulate a distinct presence both on the interior and exterior,” said Birgit Siber, project architect and principal at Diamond Schmitt Architects, in a press release. “The university has shown great leadership by supporting sustainability initiatives including ambitious energy use reduction to meet the 2030 Challenge.”
Lazaridis Hall is home to the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics and the Department of Mathematics and associated programs in entrepreneurship. In addition to academic programs, the building accommodates spacious gathering and peer learning areas, 240 faculty and administration offices and a multi-purpose auditorium that supports a seasonal conference agenda.
“We are very honoured that Lazaridis Hall has received this award,” added Mark Dettweiler, Laurier’s director of planning, design and construction. “One of the project goals from the onset was to create an iconic building that would benefit not only the Laurier, but also the broader community of Waterloo Region.”
Lazaridis Hall previously won an Interior Wood Design Award, a Canadian Consulting Engineering Award and an award of excellence from the Ontario Glass and Metal Association. This is Diamond Schmitt Architects’ third Civic Trust Award. In 2016, Toronto’s Bridgepoint Active Healthcare won for connecting a campus of care with its community, and in 2015, Daniels Spectrum won for its performance, rehearsal, learning and social enterprise space for local arts and cultural groups in Toronto’s Regent Park neighbourhood.
