James Stewart Centre for Mathematics receives Medal in Architecture

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/math_award.jpg” caption=”Foyer of the James Stewart Centre for Mathematics”]McMaster's James Stewart Centre for Mathematics was presented with a Governor General's Medal in Architecture today at Rideau Hall in Ottawa.

It was one of nine projects across Canada to be selected for the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) and the Canada Council for the Arts award.

The 1929 building was redesigned this past year into the James Stewart Centre for Mathematics. It is the first project of its kind at a Canadian university to promote team-based mathematics.

The objective of Toronto architect Bruce Kuwabara, of Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects was to strengthen the identity of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics in a campus traditionally noted for its medicine programs, and to create a facility that recognizes the interactive nature of mathematics with spaces that promote team-based study and research.

The $11-million restoration was overseen by a working group of McMaster mathematicians that included professor emeritus James Stewart, a champion of mathematics at the University for 26 years. Stewart donated $1 million to the project with additional gifts coming from mathematics graduate and Board of Governors member Richard Buckingham, Deloitte & Touche, the McLean Foundation, SuperBuild and the Ontario Innovation Trust fund.

The project involved 49,000 square feet of interior renovations, including classrooms, faculty offices, math laboratories and graduate study areas. The new centre features blackboards woven through public and office spaces covered in students' and professors' mathematical notations. Public corridors are oversized and furnished with tables, benches and blackboards to encourage group study, collaborative thinking and discourse. On the ground floor, the Math Cafi, featuring a long bar and series of hinged chalkboard panels, is easily transformed into teaching and lecture space or to accommodate a crowd for special events.

Complete descriptions, biographies and downloadable images of the architectural firms and their winning buildings are available at www.raic.org and www.canadacouncil.ca.

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[img_inline align="right" src="http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/math_award.jpg" caption="Foyer of the James Stewart Centre for Mathematics"]McMaster&#039;s James Stewart Centre for Mathematics was presented with a Governor General&#039;s Medal in Architecture today at Rideau Hall in Ottawa.<p><br />
<br />
It was one of nine projects across Canada to be selected for the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) and the Canada Council for the Arts award. <p><br />
<br />
The 1929 building was redesigned this past year into the James Stewart Centre for Mathematics. It is the first project of its kind at a Canadian university to promote team-based mathematics. <p><br />
<br />
The objective of Toronto architect Bruce Kuwabara, of Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects was to strengthen the identity of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics in a campus traditionally noted for its medicine programs, and to create a facility that recognizes the interactive nature of mathematics with spaces that promote team-based study and research. <p><br />
<br />
The $11-million restoration was overseen by a working group of McMaster mathematicians that included professor emeritus James Stewart, a champion of mathematics at the University for 26 years. Stewart donated $1 million to the project with additional gifts coming from mathematics graduate and Board of Governors member Richard Buckingham, Deloitte & Touche, the McLean Foundation, SuperBuild and the Ontario Innovation Trust fund. <p><br />
<br />
The project involved 49,000 square feet of interior renovations, including classrooms, faculty offices, math laboratories and graduate study areas. The new centre features blackboards woven through public and office spaces covered in students&#039; and professors&#039; mathematical notations. Public corridors are oversized and furnished with tables, benches and blackboards to encourage group study, collaborative thinking and discourse. On the ground floor, the Math Cafi, featuring a long bar and series of hinged chalkboard panels, is easily transformed into teaching and lecture space or to accommodate a crowd for special events. <p><br />
<br />
Complete descriptions, biographies and downloadable images of the architectural firms and their winning buildings are available at <a href="http://www.raic.org">www.raic.org</a> and <a href="http://www.canadacouncil.ca">www.canadacouncil.ca</a>.

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