Putting Food Science and Nutrition on Display

The Academic Pavilion at Brescia University College is a two-storey addition that modernises and promotes the Food and Nutritional Sciences program with instructional labs, offices, classrooms, and student spaces. HDR worked with Brescia to design a facility that bolsters the college’s presence by focusing on transparency, connectivity, and community engagement.

Framing an entrance for the campus, the facility is adjacent to the MSJ Memorial Building, and fully connected to both floors through reconfiguration of an existing fire stair. The façade is treated with different materials to reflect specific spaces inside, including glass façades that look into active learning and presentation spaces.

Organized around a large central meeting zone where ‘science is on display’, the pinwheel floor plan of the first floor is arranged with two identical food labs in opposing corners with adjacent shared lab support space — commercial equipment, storage, changing rooms. A partitioning glass wall between the food lab and the commercial equipment space allows for flexibility and cross-disciplinary learning. The second floor food science lab and large classrooms sit in opposite corners with nearby study lounges. The central corridor is over-sized with double-height light wells, creating a bright and welcoming atmosphere for serendipitous gathering and collaboration occur between classes.