Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/609048
58 simon FALL 2015 (BILL REID GALLERY) EFFORDPHOTOGRAPHY.COM S FU's Surrey campus is no ivory tower. Located at Sur rey's Centra l Cit y complex, it's as much a community gathering place as a university. A n awa r d -w i n n i n g bu i ld ing, desig ned by acclaimed Vancouver architect Bing Thom, houses the University campus as well as a shopping mall and an office tower. The campus features a glass-walled mezzanine and sky-lit gallerias, evoking a welcoming and engaging environment for learning and conversation. Reminiscent of the ancient Greek Agora, or gathering place, the Dale B. Regehr Grand Hall mezzanine acts as both a place to convene and a portal to the rest of the campus. Throughout the year, the space is used for student and com- munity forums, debates, meetings and ceremonies. At other times, it serves as a lounge and meeting space for students, faculty and staff. Housed on the mezzanine are a com- puter lab, coffee shop, Campus Safety & Security, and student services such as Aca- demic Advising and the Registrar's office. Adjacent to the Registrar's office is Podium 2, a 54,000-square-foot suite of classrooms and labs. Above the mezzanine is Podium 3, which houses the SFU Fraser Library and three classroom gallerias suspended above the shopping mall. SFU's Surrey campus is a dramatic departure from its beginnings in the early 2000s when the University took over the short-lived Technical University of British Columbia. SFU continued to operate the former university's Interactive Arts and Information Technology programs in a converted Zellers department store until moving to the Central City complex in 2006. Today, more than 7,500 students attend classes annually at the campus, study- ing a wide variety of courses in all faculties. Notably, the campus is home to SFU's popular Mechatronics Systems Engineer- ing (MSE) program—the first of its kind in North America to integrate mechani- cal, electrical and software engineering to meet the increasing demand for engineers who can work across domains. SFU's Surrey presence is far greater than its physical campus and student pro- grams. The University has developed important partnerships with many com- munity stakeholders, and is a founding partner of Surrey's Innovation Boulevard, a network of health institutions, univer- sities and health tech companies located within one square mile of Surrey's City Centre between SFU's Surrey campus and Surrey Memorial Hospital. SFU's NeuroTech Lab, for example, is a joint SFU–Surrey Hospital venture that brings together research, medicine and business to develop new technologies and products for improving health care. —A.T. W WOSK CENTRE FOR DIALOGUE SFU expanded the Vancouver campus in 2001 with the addition of the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, created from a former heritage bank build- ing donated by architect Peter Eng. Located at 580 West Hastings Street, the centre's dramatic circular dia- logue space—Asia Pacific Hall—has attracted signature events featur- ing heads of state and religious and political leaders. S U R R E Y C A M P U S V A N C O U V E R C A M P U S S F U e st abl i shed it s Vancouver roots in the early 1980s when it began offering continu- ing studies courses and professional programs through a storefront centre. As demand grew, SFU moved into Harbour Centre, located at 515 West Hastings Street, on May 5, 1989. Originally home to the Spencer department store, this retail space was transformed into a contemporary urban education centre with multi- purpose theatres and classrooms. Harbour Centre has since become a hub for downtown professionals, diverse urban community members and undergraduate students. Today, the Vancouver campus cov- ers more than 385,000 square feet of the downtown core in six locations and serves over 70,000 people annu- ally, while more than 6,000 students attend classes here each semester. The campus serves to strengthen SFU's connections while helping to revitalize Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, one of Canada's poorest neighbourhoods. —J.W. SFU'S URBAN CAMPUSES TAKE EDUCATION TO THE CORE