Pivotal origin: rethinking the ‘heart’ of the Fort Garry Campus

Abstract

The fundamental theme of this practicum is to explore and re-envision the ‘heart’ of the University of Manitoba’s Fort Garry Campus and inquiries how the landscape of the ‘heart’ be improved in such a manner to become the centre point of activity, attraction, and the hub for the campus as a whole. The ‘heart’ may be seen as the pivotal and historical origin of the campus. The practicum commences with an introduction to the University of Manitoba’s history, from its initiation in 1877 to present day. Followed by intensive site analysis of the campus at three different scales - the Fort Garry Campus as a whole, the campus core, and the ‘heart’ of the campus. Design inspirations and explorations, including precedent studies and rethinking how transit aligns through the campus, are studied and questioned. Lastly, a new design rendition for the ‘heart’ of the Fort Garry Campus is envisioned.