Moving Emily Carr University of Art + Design to its new home at the Great Northern Way Campus took a major step forward today with the release of the Request for Proposals (RFP) to the three short-listed proponents preparing submissions to deliver the project.

The release of the RFP officially invites the three proponents, Applied Arts Partners, BC Education Partners and Tandem Education Partners to prepare and submit detailed proposals to design, build, finance and maintain a new campus for the university.

"I am delighted that the development of Emily Carr University's new campus has taken another step forward," said Minister of Advanced Education Amrik Virk. "The creation of state-of-the-art facilities will help the university further its world-renowned reputation for students in creative arts, media and design."

The RFP process is scheduled to run until September 2014 and is a multi-stage process that requires the proponents to put forward comprehensive technical and financial submissions detailing how their proposals will meet the project's criteria.

"With this key milestone we continue to build momentum towards realizing our future new campus at Great Northern Way," said president and vice-chancellor, Emily Carr University of Art + Design, Dr. Ron Burnett. "Our new campus will serve as a social and creative centre for our learning community, the citizens of Vancouver and the world."

Emily Carr has outgrown its current Granville Island campus due to increased student demand and the need to accommodate current and emerging program areas. The new campus will accommodate more than 1,800 students and provide state-of-the-art facilities that will attract national and international students and enhance B.C.'s reputation for world-class post-secondary education. International student applications to the university have grown by 46 per cent over the last five years and currently 19 per cent of FTE students come from outside Canada.

The capital cost of the project is budgeted at up to $134 million, including a provincial investment of up to $113 million dollars, with the remainder to be raised through a capital campaign by the university.

Construction on the project is due to start in the fall of 2014 and the new campus is expected to be complete in 2016, creating an estimated 1,500 jobs during construction.

Quick Facts:

• Further details about the RFP can be found at: www.partnershipsbc.ca/files-4/project-ecuad.php
• The project site is situated at the Great Northern Way Campus, located at Great Northern Way and East 1st Ave. in Vancouver. The site of the new Emily Carr facility comprises three acres west of the new Centre for Digital Media.
• The new building will be designed to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold standards and will maximize the interior and exterior use of wood, in keeping with the B.C. government's Wood First Act.
• Founded as Vancouver School of Art in 1925, Emily Carr is the only specialized post-secondary institution in B.C. offering programs in fine arts, media arts and design exclusively. Emily Carr is one of only four such institutions in Canada and is consistently recognized nationally and internationally for the excellence of its faculty, students and alumni.

Learn More:

Emily Carr University of Art + Design: www.ecuad.ca/gnwcampus

Media Contacts:

Rodney Porter
Communications Director
Ministry of Advanced Education
250 889-7494

Barry Patterson
Executive Director, Communications
Emily Carr University of Art + Design
604 839-3078
mailto:bpatterson@ecuad.ca

BACKGROUNDER

Proponent team profiles

The three shortlisted proponents are:

Team: Applied Arts Partners

Brookfield Financial Corp.: http://www.brookfieldfinancial.com/

EllisDon Corporation: http://www.ellisdon.com/

EllisDon Capital Inc.: http://www.ellisdon.com/

Fengate Capital Management Ltd.: http://www.fengatecapital.com/

Diamond and Schmitt Architects Incorporated: http://www.dsai.ca/

Chernoff Thompson Architects: http://www.cta.bc.ca/

Johnson Controls Inc.: http://www.johnsoncontrols.ca/content/ca/en.html

Team: BC Education Partners

Bouygues Building Canada: http://www.bouyguesbuildingcanada.com/

InfraRed Capital Partners: http://ircp.com/

Bouygues Energies and Services Canada: http://www.bouygues-es.ca/

Bing Thom Architects: http://www.bingthomarchitects.com/

Team: Tandem Education Partners

Balfour Beatty Investments, a division of Balfour Beatty Group Canada Inc.: http://www.bbcgrp.com/

Gracorp Capital Advisors Ltd.: http://www.gracorpcapital.com/

Connor Clark & Lunn GVest Traditional Infrastructure LP: http://www.cclgroup.com/

Graham Design Builders LP: http://graham.ca/Project-Solutions/Delivery-Methods/Design-Build/default.aspx

Balfour Beatty Construction: http://www.balfourbeatty.com/index.asp?pageid=109#&country=canada&companyid=BB_Capital

B+H Architects Inc.: http://www.bharchitects.com/en/news

Zeidler Partnership Architects: http://www.zeidlerpartnership.com/

Media Contacts:

Rodney Porter
Communications Director
Ministry of Advanced Education
250 889-7494

Barry Patterson
Executive Director, Communications
Emily Carr University of Art + Design
604 839-3078
mailto:bpatterson@ecuad.ca