The Nicol Building design competition was to create a landmark structure at a key campus crossroads, embodying the school’s core values of creativity, connection, and innovation. This facility is envisioned as a welcoming and inspiring environment for students and staff alike, providing a stunning visual anchor that extends a tree-lined view from the Rideau River to Carleton’s entry plaza and transit hub.
The design’s core features an inviting, gently curving form that embodies an embrace, welcoming visitors to experience the vibrant energy of the school. The skylit atrium serves as the central gathering space, while the ground floor features a café that opens dramatically onto a winding staircase. It leads to the upper levels featuring glass-lined classrooms and collaborative break-out spaces designed for technology-enabled learning.
The exterior highlights bold, vertical precast fins that wrap around the six-story structure, reducing solar heat gain while accentuating its graceful curves. The interior showcases durable exposed concrete floors, seamlessly blending with numerous natural materials, including locally sourced stone and oak. Designed for the long winters, the structure prioritises comfortable, light-filled spaces positioned above the campus pedestrian tunnel system.
Sustainability is fundamental to the Building’s design. The podium is constructed using in-situ concrete, addressing structural transfers over the tunnel system. Innovative BubbleDeck technology, utilising 11,3000 displaces about 223 tonne of concrete, achieving a two-way slab that spans over 12 m (40 ft). Transitioning to structural steel in the upper floors further reduces weight and allows for narrower column grids, optimising critical program space.
By securing the foundation to bedrock, the design cleverly locates mechanical systems in the basement, simplifying ductwork and projecting energy savings of 13 per cent. The Nicol Building fosters presence, intimacy, and a sense of belonging, with a ground floor ‘hive’ promoting collaboration through flexible space configurations. Adjacent facilities, including the Innovation Hub, Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub, and Student Resource Centre, encourage cross-disciplinary interactions and strengthen industry partnerships, all reflected in the building’s embracing form.
