Construction has begun on Red River College’s Innovation Centre, a $95 million project which will be located at the college’s Exchange District campus in Winnipeg.

The 100,000 square foot development designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects in partnership with Number TEN Architectural Group includes repurposing a downtown heritage building and completing new construction on the state-of-the-art facilities.

“The Innovation Centre is deeply informed by its context with connection to the street and a layering of space and natural light through an orchestrated sequence of spaces large and small,” said Michael Leckman, principal at Diamond Schmitt Architects, in a press release.

The Innovation Centre will feature distinct zones that vary by theme to help underscore the facility’s collaboration with industry. Innovation Zones including the Sandbox for pitch sessions and advanced computer education space overlook a central atrium, the Agora. The thresholds between the new and existing buildings features plenty of natural light to reveal the beauty of the century-old Scott Fruit Building.

The Innovation Centre will be targeting net-zero energy consumption, and will feature a skin consisting of photovoltaic glass panels that create energy and also change colour depending on the angle of view and weather conditions.

“When we first proposed this campus expansion in the Exchange District, we wanted to create a space that embraced a new way of teaching and learning. A space that would bring together students with education and industry professionals, and a space that would embrace social innovation and enterprise, and allow us to continue to focus on ground-breaking innovative research,” added Paul Vogt, president and CEO of Red River College. “Number TEN and Diamond Schmitt embraced this vision and have turned it into reality. We’re very proud of this project and can’t wait to share it with the community.”

Red River College’s Innovation Centre is scheduled to be completed in 2020.