After years of planning, Trent University broke ground on its newest residential college and a new student residence on Thursday (June 17).
To be built on the east bank of Trent University’s Symons Campus in Peterborough, Gidigaa Migizi College will be the university’s sixth college, joining Champlain, Lady Eaton, Peter Gzowski, Otonabee, and Catharine Parr Traill. The colleges are scholarly communities comprising student residences, dining halls, and academic and administrative space.
The largest campus infrastructure developments since the university was founded in 1964, the 700,000 square-foot development will create more than 1,300 new beds for students, including 700 in Gidigaa Migizi College and more than 600 in the new Otonabee College residence, which will include indoor connections to existing dining facilities and an outdoor communal quad.
“We are about to embark on a defining chapter at Trent University,” said Trent University president and vice-chancellor Dr. Cathy Bruce in a media release.
“Gidigaa Migizi College and the new Otonabee residence will offer modern, inclusive spaces where students live, learn, and form lasting connections. It’s our most ambitious campus project yet. This new project will contribute tremendously to Trent’s vibrant learning and living environment.”
Gidigaa Migizi College is named in honour of the late Curve Lake First Nation Elder and former chief Gidigaa Migizi (Douglas Williams), who passed away in July 2022. Williams was an associate professor at the university and director of studies for the PhD program in Indigenous Studies, teaching the land-based course for the program. In Anishinaabemowin (the Ojibwe language), Gidigaa Migizi means spotted eagle.
Designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects and Indigenous architectural firm Two Row Architects and developed by Knightstone Capital Management, Gidigaa Migizi College will include two flexible lecture halls, a rooftop amenity space with panoramic views, a student services hub.
The design, which will make use of natural materials like wood and stone, organic shapes, and extensive sightlines to the outdoors, is based on Indigenous design principles informed by engagement with the First Peoples House of Learning at Trent, the Chanie Wenjack School for Indigenous Studies, the Trent Elders Council, and members of the Michi Saagiig First Nations.
Other features include storytelling space, smudging areas, and symbols of cultural significance, including the pike and eagle.
In terms of the environment and sustainability, both buildings will be supported by a geothermal heating and cooling system, with designs projected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 per cent from the National Energy Code 2017 baseline.
Fram Construction will be working with the developer, architects, and the university to build Gidigaa Migizi College and the new Otonabee College residence.
Early site servicing and preparation for tapping geothermal resources will begin later in the summer, setting the stage for three years of construction, with Gidigaa Migizi College and the new Otonabee College residence slated to open in fall 2028.
