House of Learning and A Living Wall

I was lucky enough to tour the House of Learning today, during which time I stood staring and gawking the whole time! Was this beautiful building really my school?

House of Learning Exterior

The building will act as a library, with several classrooms and conferences centres.
But really, the living wall steals the show....

The Living Wall

The Living Wall spans the entire height of the building, 4 storeys, and is the first thing you see when you walk into the foyer. Composed of living greenery and flowers, water sprays the plants from behind the wall (it sounds like a waterfall) and has a water-sprayer attached to an electric crane that can spray water in front of the wall on the plants. As you can imagine, it smells wonderful...

Beautiful etched glass guards on all floors

Foyer

Study Space, 4th Floor

I think the new HOL will be very popular, I can't wait for all the books to be brought in.

Bookcases

All the bookshelves rotate, allowing for more use of the space and more storage for books.

Walking around the building, with all the curved walls, gave a feeling of exploration.

Even the modern and sleek study corrals, with their frosted glass and soft neutral colours, make studying seem like a zen experience.

 Group study tables, adjacent to fireplaces on every floor.

 

3rd Floor Group Study Space

View of 3rd Floor from 4th Floor

All of the wood used in this project was locally sourced (being from B.C., not too difficult).

This roof they're not quite finished with, but when it's all done, it will be finished as a Green Roof, complete with lush grass and plants. The metal beams you can see in the right hand corner are attached to the exterior and act as shades against the sun. Not only a practice of sustainable design, they also completely revamped the look of the buildings exterior, adding to the ultra-modern tone of the building.

Exterior Patio

A sculpture of the school mascot that graces the top of the building

 Go Wolfpack!

Skylight above Foyer

This building made quite the impression on me, and I can't wait to hang out there after it opens next week. The building is unique in that it appeals to the senses, sight, smell, sound...the University also plans to renovate the Old Main Building this summer, where most of my classes are held. It will definitely be exciting to see when I return this September!