The Taylor Family’s sizeable contribution is helping Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) dig into its reimagined Campus Centre
The Taylor Family Foundation’s $30 million contribution, announced on Thursday, will bring to life the aptly named Taylor Family Campus Centre.
“The campus center itself, a significant addition, it becomes the centrepiece of the campus. It’s where students gather, it’s where communities gather. That’s where you build a sense of community. When this opens in 27 (2027), it truly will be the front door of the institution,” said Dr. David Ross, SAIT President, and CEO.
The campus will have many important and valuable aspects to offer to the SAIT’s growing community. Ross said the building will have a triple gym, running track, and a rink. It will also include health and wellness facilities, student meeting spaces, and a renewal of the Gateway, which is the student pub. There will also be a convention centre with a 700-person capacity. He couldn’t confirm a specific overall cost for the building, as they’re continuing to negotiate with contractors. He did say it would likely be more than $100 million.
The Taylor Family Campus Centre is planned to open in 2027 and will cover around 25,000 square metres. The centre was also designed to be constructed with suitability in mind and operate with a reduced footprint.
“I’m really thrilled to be part of this support for the school. That’s been an essential part of our community for over a hundred years and I think it’s very, very fitting that we should be supporting and adding more facilities to the city,” said Don Taylor.
The facility will also provide upgraded equipment and facilities to the SAIT Trojans sports programs like women’s hockey.
“I can’t wait for others to start making lifelong memories here at SAIT like I did. The rink was somewhere I felt safe and comfortable,” said Tamryn Ward, who played three years with the SAIT’s women’s hockey team.
The original campus centre was built in 1981 for a student population of 8,000. In 2022/23, more than 15,000 full-time equivalent learners were at the school.
An assessment of the building elements determined a sustainable salvage, resale, donation and recycling plan that allowed 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 various community organizations.
A new centre is being built as major renovations to the existing building would have maintained it as-is and would have cost 65 per cent of the existing building value, according to the project website. More details can be found there.
