An immersive postgraduate experience
Humber College is a post-secondary institution that focuses on hands-on, career-oriented learning. Offering a broad range of credentials, diplomas, certificates and postgraduate certificates, Humber aims to help students chart the best path towards their future goals. Located in the heart of downtown Toronto, Humber’s new International Graduate School (IGS) offers students an immersive post-graduate experience with specialized programs in business and technology.
Humber set out to construct the state-of-the-art facility to accommodate growing numbers of international graduate applicants. The new IGS offers students work-integrated learning, interdisciplinary study and networking opportunities. The vibrant downtown core location also provides international grad students with the freedom to truly immerse themselves in the diverse culture, amenities and business opportunities Toronto has to offer.
The facility’s 40,000 sq. ft. design promotes flexible, collaborative learning through its open environment, classrooms, and connected learning spaces. The campus itself promotes inclusivity and interdisciplinary study through project-based learning initiatives. To support student networking in the professional sector, IGS hosts lunch and learns, networking events and mentorship programs to further connect its students to alumni, business and industry experts that can help them prepare for employment in their chosen fields.
A rigorous project schedule
Humber engaged our team to provide full project management services from concept design through to construction and completion of the new spaces. With plans to offer study in the IGS by the 2021 winter term, the project needed to be complete in a rigorous 11-month schedule. Project concepts began in January 2020, just months before the COVID-19 pandemic struck the region and introduced further challenges for the aggressive schedule.
Leveraging relationships was an important factor to ensure the project could progress with minimal impacts caused by the pandemic. Our team worked closely with the college, stakeholders, vendors and project team to secure all materials and work contracts early on. The building design wrapped up in just four months, and our team worked alongside the college to procure and quickly integrate the construction manager into the project.
To provide students with the best possible learning environment, Humber holds itself to a high technological standard. Each classroom in the new IGS includes innovative audio-visual, information technology and security systems that are specific to Humber’s needs. Given the short turn-around for design, it was a challenge to anticipate and accommodate each technology and security element in the final design. Our team oversaw the design process and maintained a high level of communication across the design team, contractors and college to incorporate, approve and implement the necessary changes without delaying construction.
Welcoming students and faculty
Construction began on schedule and our team supervised the transition to ensure the site met provincial health and safety regulations. Despite unprecedented challenges and a rigorous delivery schedule, collaboration, careful planning and quick decision making strongly contributed to the project’s overall success.
Humber’s IGS reached substantial completion in January 2021 and the college officially welcomed students and faculty shortly after. The new facility is more than an extension of the college’s campus – it is a hub enabling international students to connect, collaborate, and network as they build personal and professional connections in Toronto’s downtown core.
