Release Date: May 16, 2005
Media Contact: Colleen Dundas, External Relations
E-mail: Collenn.Dundas@uregina.ca
Phone: (306) 337-2413
Mobile: (306) 536.4312
Fax: (306) 585.4997
Lab Building addition construction officially begins
David Barnard, president of the University of Regina, and Honourable Andrew Thomson, Saskatchewan Learning minister, officially began construction of the Lab Building addition at the University of Regina today with a sod turning event.

The expanded building will house some of the best and most modern research and teaching facilities in the country, providing state-of-the-art laboratory space for faculty and students.

"The Lab Building addition will enhance the University of Regina's growing research programs and help us to continue to build our outstanding group of faculty and students with labs that are as good as the best in Canada," Barnard said. "The building has been specifically designed to meet the University's goal to be sustainable."

The provincial government grant for this project is $31 million. The U of R Board of Governors approved construction of the building in April.

To be located south of the existing Laboratory Building, the addition will be energy efficient, using natural light wherever possible, and space efficient. The main north-south interior pedestrian link between College West and the future Lab Building addition is designed to act as a major gathering space for students and connect to the inner Dr. Lloyd Barber Academic Green visually and physically.

The infrastructure will be flexible, capable of responding to changing needs of teaching and research. The Lab Building addition will feature modern, high-quality labs, which will be similar to labs senior undergraduate and graduate students will work on later in their careers. Modern audio-visual, connectivity and conferencing capacities will enhance electronic interactions, information sharing and research collaborations.

The new building will have space to accommodate 30 Principle Investigators, each with a team of four to five post doctoral researchers and graduate student researchers.

The addition is expected to be completed in May 2007.