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The new building is supposed to be built where parking lot M is located. Lot M is between the University Club and the Lyle S. Hallman Institute for Health Promotion.
That's a good location but I was hoping they would build it at the Kitchener Health Sciences Campus and School of Pharmacy. Besides the School of Pharmacy, that campus has McMaster University's DeGroote School of Medicine and the School of Optometry's satellite teaching and research clinic. If they would have built in Kitchener the only thing missing would have been a teaching hospital.
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While that is admittedly dull, UW has recently built a number of architecturally unique buildings. I'm not sure if sameness is a legitimate criticism to direct at them.
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Fair enough.
How are these sorts of architectural decisions made, i.e. by the university administration or by the faculty?
How are the buildings funded, i.e. by the university administration or by the faculty's budget?
I'm asking because I have no idea. Perhaps a faculty that needs to expand but has relatively little money has no choice but to build a big box with windows.
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I agree, but I think this has to do with the source of funds. Some donors explicitly request that a good architect firm be engaged as condition of the donation, while other sources demand a barebones functional design (usually government sources).
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The original proposal was MUCH better
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They typically are better until reality, physics and budgets get in the way.