In the fall of 2023, The Baron wrote an article covering the construction on campus. As the situation and inconvenience for students have increased over the past year, we felt that an update and an explanation were in order.
It’s hard to ignore it. Where there was once the Ward Chipman Library, a pile of rubble took its place. That pile of rubble has steadily grown into three-and-a-half floors of steel beams and girders, the sound of its growth rarely ceasing. This 65,000 square ft. building is the Health and Social Innovation Center, the latest building to be erected on UNB’s Saint John campus.
The building is unique to the other Saint John buildings in a few ways. It will have a concrete core, and a steel frame (a fairly obvious feature to those on campus), and will mostly be made out of timber to “create a warmer and more comfortable environment for informal learning and gathering spaces.” It will have 60 wells at 500 feet in order to tap into the geothermal energy below the campus. The HaSIC is designed to aim for the highest LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification and have a low carbon footprint. LEED is the most widely used green rating system in the world. All of these things are in accordance with UNB’s Climate Change Action Plan, which aims to transform UNB into a completely carbon-neutral institution by 2050.
The HaSIC’s purpose is all in the name. It is a building designed for “innovative, entrepreneurial research as well as health and wellness” and is designed to be accessible to all. In addition to the traditional facilities, such as offices, meeting areas, and classrooms, it will also have research spaces with movable walls, an open reception area, and a teaching kitchen. For those who bring their own lunch to campus, the last of these facilities will certainly be a great joy. (At present, there are only two microwaves on the entirety of the Saint John campus, both housed in the HWK Commons.)
Some of the current spaces on campus will be rearranged to fit in with the HaSIC building, but what and where are still to be determined. The primary focus of the facilities will be towards the “addressing of the most immediate challenges in health reform and social issues. The HaSIC is also designed to have form in addition to function. There will be a great deal of frosted windows in the building, opening up an excellent view of Kennebecasis River. It will also have a healing garden, acknowledging “UNB’s commitment to truth and reconciliation.” It will have a gathering circle where members of the Indigenous community can gather, and “settler-learners can learn about Indigenous culture, plants, and healing.”
Students will be glad to know that the building’s cost is not taken out of the cost of their tuition. The federal and provincial governments have given UNB $27.2 million towards the project, and to cover the remaining costs, UNB has a fundraising campaign underway. The building is estimated to be completed very late 2025, and open in 2026.
While students and staff are waiting for this day to come, much of the campus has been fenced off to prevent construction accidents. A little path in the grass towards Oland Hall is starting to become more prominent. Detours must also be used. The main entrance to Hazen Hall has been blocked off by the fences, and in order to get in, one must either use the back door or the tunnels.
Speaking of the tunnels, the tunnels will all be reconnected when the HaSIC opens. Until that happens, normal access around the campus will be restricted. Though the new building is impressive and exciting, it may be that the aspects students are most looking forward to regarding the conclusion of the construction is the return of easy navigation through the campus and the cessation of the noise!
To continue learning about the Health and Social Innovation Center, UNB has provided a visual explanatory video you can watch here.
