Details for SAIT's new Campus Centre were revealed at a celebration for the future campus cornerstone on Thursday, May 30, including news of a generous $30 million gift from the Taylor Family Foundation. The centre aptly named the Taylor Family Campus Centre will focus on student wellness and building community here at SAIT.
Coming together through a shared vision, SAIT and the Taylor Family Foundation are looking toward a future where students have access to all the supports needed to realize their full potential. The Taylor's revered philanthropic dedication to investing in Calgary's community aligns with SAIT's commitment to preparing students for the future.
Taylor Family Foundation
Established in 2011, The Taylor Family Foundation represents the visions of Don and Ruth Taylor. Well-known for their philanthropic support throughout Calgary, the Taylor Family is dedicated to ensuring the success of people, community and culture.
In 2001, Don Taylor was a SAIT Honorary Degree recipient with a Bachelor of Applied Technology.
"SAIT has populated our province and our country with well-trained and brilliant personnel for commerce and industry over the last 100 years. The Taylor Family Foundation is proud to support SAIT's education program."
- Don Taylor
Event attendees were greeted with freshly squeezed juice, keeping with the wellness theme, and invited into the transformed Irene Lewis Atrium to share in the excitement. Through augmented reality, they were given a peek behind the curtain of plans for the state-of-the-art building, which will house a number of wellness facilities, including a Welcome Centre, health clinics, conference and event space, an arena, triple gymnasium, running track and fitness centre.
Dr. David Ross, Don and Ruth Taylor stand at a podium as the Taylor Family Foundation donation to Campus Centre is announced.
SAIT Executives pose for a photo at a ceremonial ground-breaking on the future site of Campus Centre.
Intentionally designed with a focus on sustainability and universal accessibility, the 25,000-square-metre building is expected to open in 2027 and will include elements inspired by SAIT's catalyst logo, with the exterior design complementing the architecture found on campus.
In March, Elder Betty Crazyboy from the Piikani Nation, led members of the SAIT community and partners in a traditional Blackfoot pipe ceremony to honour the Treaty 7 land, those working on the construction project and all who will enjoy the future space. The building will model themes derived from Indigenous knowledge and practices, such as shared communal spaces and culturally relevant offerings, as a critical step in SAIT's path to reconciliation.
Serving as a training ground for SAIT students, the Taylor Family Campus Centre will aid in delivering skilled practitioners to a range of fields through work-integrated learning opportunities and hands-on training. Comprehensive physical and mental health care and wellness services such as pharmaceutical care, rehabilitation and sports medicine will be available to support the health care needs of the greater Calgary community.
The Welcome Centre, located within the Taylor Family Campus Centre, will be there to mark the beginning of a new journey for students starting their program at SAIT. Offering all student services in one location, the Welcome Centre will be where new students can connect, collaborate and engage as they build a sense of belonging and community on campus.
Along with those spaces, the centre will house world-class training facilities and the Trojans varsity sports program attracting prospective student talent by providing opportunities for athletic excellence. The SAIT community will have an impressive new competition venue to attend home games where they can cheer on the Trojans.
Reduce, reuse, recycle
In 2022, a sustainable building decommission and demolition strategy was put into place to launch the redevelopment project. An assessment of the building elements determined a sustainable salvage, resale, donation and recycling plan allowing SAIT to achieve a 95 percent waste diversion rate. Working with partners at Green Standards, the project diverted 73 tons of material from landfills and contributed more than $95,000 of in-kind donations to support a variety of community organizations.
The new centre will aim to operate at a reduced environmental footprint and minimize energy and resource consumption.
More than just a building
As a dedicated space for students and community to gather, the Taylor Family Campus Centre will be the front door to SAIT's campus. It will be a place of learning and growth through shared experiences, training opportunities and student supports. The creation of a centre focused on community will reimagine what a campus centre can be and bring to life the transformation of a vibrant on-campus hub.
As a future cornerstone of campus life, the Taylor Family Campus Centre will support the next generation of SAIT students and establish a sense of community and belonging in space designed to forge new connections and strengthen old ones. The needs and expectations of our students continue to evolve and change. Our vision for the centre is to offer a dynamic on-campus environment all about enhancing the student experience through a whole-person approach to wellness.
Dr. David Ross
