Mechanical stategy has breathed new life into a 1960s lab building

By Mary Georgious, P.Eng

Renovating an aging laboratory building is rarely simple. When that building is one of University of Waterloo’s (UWaterloo’s) most active scientific facilities, with a research program that cannot be shut down, the complexity grows significantly, especially since past renovations were executed in phases and the building’s documentation did not fully reflect what remains in its ceiling and shafts.

The third-floor renewal of the university’s Earth Sciences & Chemistry (ESC) building began with an architectural goal to create a modern, collaborative research environment that could support world-class science. Very early in the project’s design, however, one reality emerged that would shape much of what followed: the mechanical strategy would drive key decisions.

Read the full article (page 18-21) : https://issuu.com/annexbusinessmedia/docs/cce_summer_2026