DARE

DARE District embedded with Indigenous elements

DARE District

Grand Opening of the DARE District
May 03, 2018
(PHOTO: Jana Chytilova)

The DARE District’s three-storey mural is impossible to miss, but the building’s Indigenous influences go far beyond the striking visual of animals and nature.

Indigenous knowledge, methodology, and imagery are embedded throughout the DARE District’s design, identity, and purpose.

“Within the new DARE District, Algonquin has raised and invested $5.4 million dollars into four unique areas that embed, profile, and celebrate Indigenous culture and identity,” says Ron McLester, Executive Director of Truth, Reconciliation & Indigenization. “There is the courtyard (under construction), the Indigenous Commons, the Institute of Indigenization, and an area on our third floor Library that is meant to be a bit of a repository for traditional Indigenous knowledge. Continue reading →

What to expect in the new Student One Stop Space

The DARE District will not only change the face of campus, it will change the face of student services at Algonquin College.

While May 3 marks the new building’s grand opening, construction will continue on lower-level Student One Stop Space until the end of July. Services in the area will include the Registrar’s Office, a Test Centre, the PLAR and Pathways Office, the Centre for Academic Success, and the International Education Centre. Some services will begin moving in Aug. 1.

“This new service space is going to be open, bright, modern, and state-of-the-art,” says Todd Schonewille, Director of Physical Resources. “We have completely demolished the original space and will be rebuilding it entirely from scratch. Coordination of this project with the DARE District in the floors above has allowed us to make significant improvements to this space that would not have been possible otherwise. Most notable perhaps is increased final ceiling heights as well as the addition of windows to the exterior. Also, the design will be aligned with that of the DARE District, both in the aesthetics as atmosphere – as well as in the use of environmentally sustainable design and building materials.”

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AC’s new Library offers an ‘energizing’ space for learners

Right now, Algonquin College’s new Library looks like anything but a library, what with dangling wires, bare concrete, the roar of machinery, and lots of busy men and women in hard hats.

But not too many weeks from now – six weeks, in fact – the DARE District facility will be a realm of studious serenity, a high-ceilinged, sun-lit space where learners (along with faculty and employees) can enjoy high-tech learning aids, acres of study space, tutoring, and much more. Indeed, College students will have two full floors of services available to them, some of which will be available 24/7. Continue reading →