Board HQ mimics plan from Mohawk
The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board appears to be taking a page from Mohawk College in the design of its proposed, $31.6-million headquarters.
Drawings shown at a public open house Wednesday night look similar to the new, glass-panelled Learning Exchange at Mohawk College, recently recognized as a building for architecture buffs to see by the Washington, D.C.-based Atlantic Cities magazine.
The two-storey centre set for the Crestwood school site, on Millwood Place near Mohawk Road East and Upper Wentworth Street, will encompass 113,500 square feet. It will offer parking for 480 cars — a new detail determined in the past month — and landscaping on about 42 per cent of the property. This includes adding trees on the grounds.
As it stands, a few routes to the site require a drive through the neighbourhood. The board is proposing to confine the access route to Upper Wentworth Street, through Fieldway Drive.
Even though the board has not finalized the sale of its downtown centre to McMaster University for development of a new health campus, board staff believed it was appropriate to seek public comment for the new building. Trustees approved the conditional sale of the 45-year-old downtown centre to McMaster last September.
“Like many processes, things have to run concurrently,” said Don Hall, the board’s senior facilities officer. “If we did everything (in sequence) … The timeline would be astronomical. We actually started discussions with the city about this site a year ago, so we have already started work.”
The aim is to move into the new centre in March 2014. The city is offering to lease space to the board in the Robert Thompson building as an interim home.
The building has been designed by +VG Architects from Brantford. The design for the new headquarters drew mixed views. But architect Paul Sapounzi liked the comments he was hearing from residents.
“They liked the idea (that) the footprint of the (new) building is smaller than the building here (now),” he said.
Downtown businessman Graham Crawford, who wished the board would remain downtown, was unimpressed.
“It just shows an uninteresting lack for innovation and an utter disdain for the heart of the city,” he said.
Where are we now
January - June 2012
continue to seek stakeholder input
design development of the new facility
apply for the appropriate building permits
August 2012
Proposed groundbreaking
Where we're headed
March 2014 - Proposed move-in date for staff into the new facility
April 2014 - Proposed community grand opening celebration
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