Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/609048
56 simon FALL 2015 (W.A.C. BENNETT LIBRARY, MAGGIE BENSTON STUDENT SERVICES CENTRE) NIK WEST B U R N A B Y C A M P U S G ordon Shrum had a vision when British Columbia Premier W.A.C. Ben- nett installed him as SFU's f irst chancellor in 1963. He pictured a univer- sity that could expand, yet still retain its origi- nal character. He wanted a campus where lecture theatres were grouped together in one central location, and where students could walk from building to building without having to go outdoors. His ideas were reflected in the infor- mal guidelines for a competition to find an architect to lead the campus' over- all design. Vancouver architects Arthur Erickson and Geoffrey Massey won out over 71 submissions to bring Shrum's vision to fruition. Draw ing on inspirat ion f rom Athens' Acropolis, Erickson incorporated Burnaby Mountain into the campus' design, choosing to contour the buildings to the landscape and favouring horizontal over vertical expansion. He also saw the University as a place for interdisciplinary learning and teach- ing, favouring buildings that housed multiple departments and faculties over individual buildings. Rounding out their design, Erickson and Massey envisioned a residential community complementing the University. After construction crews cleared the land, construction began in April 1964 on the Academic Quadrangle, the mall (Convocation Mall), gym (Chancellor's Gymnasium), library (W.A.C. Bennett Librar y), theatre (Leslie & Gordon Diamond Family Auditorium) and science centre (Shrum Science Centre— biology and chemistry buildings). Shrum considered these buildings to be the heart of SFU and wanted them built f irst so the University would look f inished at opening. Construction was completed in just 18 months a nd t he Un iver sit y opened on September 9, 1965—earning SFU the "instant university" moniker.