In 2011, within the framework of its factory expansion projects, Aluminerie Alouette struck an accord with the Government of Quebec to finance the construction of a university building in Sept-Iles with the goal of improving access to graduate studies in the region. Inaugurated in December 2014, the Alouette-UQAC university building has a floor area of 3,200 m² spread over three floors and a capacity of 400 students. The new building shares services with the Cégep de Sept-Îles on a common campus located in the heart of a residential area. The new project features more than 50 rooms, including several classrooms, four laboratories, multipurpose meeting spaces, two video conference rooms, an educational software library, a computer lab, offices for grad students, teachers, and researchers, administration offices, a student living area, and a multi-functional atrium. Six main objectives guided the design process:
• Create links between the two existing buildings by adding a third.
• Upgrade the institution from junior college-level to university status.
• Reaffirm the importance of both institutions to the community.
• Minimize environmental impact.
• Through the design of the building itself, attest to the importance of the aluminum industry to the region.
• Design human-scale spaces that inspire learning.
Design Concept
The design concept underlines the participation of the building sponsor by creating an analogy between the industrial aluminum production process and the learning process. In both cases, raw material is processed and results in a refined product: in the industrial process, this leads to refined aluminum while in the academic process, it leads to knowledge. Ecological Architecture, Sustainable Development, and Materials Advanced environmental technology plays a significant role in the project.
click here to read full article....
