The vacant Ward Chipman Library at the University of New Brunswick (UNB)’s Saint John campus will be demolished in place of a new 65,000-square-foot building that will become the Health and Social Innovation Centre.

The province announced $38 million in joint funding for the three and a half-story building that will connect to nearby walking paths, an underground tunnel system, and a ring road overlooking the campus quad and the Kennebecasis River.

The centre will be designed and built to maintain a low carbon footprint through green building standards and aim for a LEED certification, while improving community access to teaching and research facilities, as well as informal learning and study spaces.

With this new facility, the idea is to also attract students to healthcare as a field of study and a profession, while strengthening the province’s healthcare system.

Canada is investing $15.2 million from the Green Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. The Government of New Brunswick is contributing $12 million and the University of New Brunswick is providing $10.8 million.