Female students come for the campus housing, and stay for the community

St. Joseph’s College - Women’s Residence

More female students are attending St. Joseph's College and the University of Alberta. This is great news—except for one issue. The college had limited space for female students in its two existing residences. To create a true community, the college needed to keep its students and staff on campus and close to the historic building at the heart of it. The land directly south of the old building provided an answer.

The development project called for a women’s residence with 282 beds, lounges promoting social interaction, a chapel, parking space, and a spacious lobby. As consultants on the design-build team, we worked closely with the construction manager, did a conceptual study, and proposed that the living rooms planned for each suite be replaced with two student lounges per floor. The final design included sustainable features such as low-flow water fixtures and low-off gassing finishes. We also used fully glazed walls in the lounges, Tyndall Stone as an accent, and red brick throughout (the stone and brick help tie the new building to the old).

With this energy-efficient project, the college and university are proud to be able to offer a full campus—and community—experience.