From business case to new facility

Enterprise Square Business Case

Edmonton’s University of Alberta campus is continuously evolving to provide opportunities for future generations. Short on space, and wanting to connect to the downtown community, the university needed to explore sites for a future campus.  

Building on Stantec’s ongoing relationship, the university  hired our program and project management team to build a business case for the downtown campus. Based on research of other successful downtown campuses, our business case included a comprehensive funding plan that worked for all levels of government and the university. We explored a financial model that examined capital, tenant improvement, and operating costs, revenue from current tenants, and forecast revenue from a mix of institutional and commercial tenants. 

Based on our findings, the University of Alberta chose an existing major Edmonton landmark, the former Hudson’s Bay Building, to be the new home for additional programs and services. The addition connects to the main campus by a quick hop over the river via LRT. Stantec was subsequently chosen to design the project that spurred downtown revitalization, created employment opportunities, and improved accessibility to education.