SAIT’s Taylor Family Campus Centre redevelopment is another major infrastructure project that’s on time and on budget – so far – as it, too, eyes potential tariff-related hiccups.
Last week, the Alberta Government announced that it would include $30 million for the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) Taylor Family Campus Centre redevelopment as a part of their 2025 provincial budget.
The provincial funding matches the donation made by the project’s namesake, the Taylor family, SAIT said in a press release.
The redevelopment began in 2023 and is set to finish in 2027. Once completed, the campus centre will include an ice sheet, basketball court and a campus pub/restaurant, among other amenities.
The project has faced its “greatest challenge yet,” with global trade uncertainty brought on by US tariff threats, said Rose Viscount, Senior Project Manager with SAIT.
SAIT plans on using as many Canadian materials as possible, while looking into alternative sources for US products. They’re hoping that comes with as little re-designing and re-sequencing as possible. Most of the sourcing decisions are made by subcontractors, Viscount said.
“There’s just so many unknowns with our tariffs and all our products and materials that we expected to procure from the US,” she said.
Tariffs aside, Viscount said the project remains on schedule and budget. Currently, the project is in the second of two phases.
Building design happened in phase one, and early works saw basic construction, including laying concrete groundwork and electrical work completed at the end of March. Phase two will carry out the remaining construction until the building is complete, according to Viscount.
The design and build team for the project includes Bird Construction Inc. (general contractor), GEC Architecture (design services) and Altus Group (project management).
“Bird (Construction) are working really closely with the schedule,” Viscount said.
The project is on track to meet its fall 2027 completion date. Viscount does not expect any delays during the upcoming spring semester.
As a part of the redevelopment, SAIT built a tunnel utilities tie-in for the centre.
“We just wrapped up that major milestone at the end of February,” Viscount said.
Student and team space downsized until 2027
When the previous campus centre closed on April 3, 2023, SAIT’s student gym area was downsized to a temporary facility on the east end of the campus, called the SAIT Wellness Centre.
Without indoor space available, SAIT Trojans teams like hockey and futsal couldn’t continue to play on campus and won’t return until redevelopment finishes.
Viscount said that the school has done “everything possible we could think of,” to minimize the redevelopment’s impact on students’ daily life.
“The biggest challenge we face right now is when the pedestrians are getting off the LRT station and crossing the walkway. We do have a truck turning and holding area going into the site,” she said.
“There’s a little bit of disruption there for pedestrians crossing the street. If we have large concrete trucks coming in that need to get into the site, pedestrians would have to wait until the flag goes and gives them permission to cross.”
SAIT plans to bring “extra resources,” such as Calgary Transit officers to campus to help with flow during heavy events like convocation (graduation).
Students can monitor the redevelopment through updates on SAIT’s website.
