building

This project is a continuation of SPF projects: McGill Feeding McGill (SP0002) and McGill Feeding McGill 2 (SP0038)

The objective of the project is to provide locally grown fruits and vegetables from the Macdonald Campus’s Horticultural Center to McGill’s downtown residences and the general student community.

In 2011, the Ministry of Education has mandated all universities to reduce their water usage by 10% by 2015 and by 20% by 2020, relative to 2011 levels. McGill University Services hired an intern to determine the baseline water usage on the downtown campus and to help identify areas where consumption could be reduced. Buildings were prioritized and then surveyed for water usage.

At the Macdonald campus of McGill University a student-led initiative is bringing forth ecological agriculture into its food system, curriculums, internship opportunities and its social sphere.

The objective of the project is to provide locally grown fruits and vegetables from the Macdonald Campus’s Horticultural Center to McGill’s downtown residences and the general student community.

McGill University houses and feeds thousands of students on a yearly basis in its various residences downtown. The Macdonald Campus’s Horticultural Center specializes in the growing of fruits and vegetables and is thereby well suited to provide certain, seasonal fruits and vegetables to the University’s Food and Dining Services Department.

Status: COMPLETED March 2010 - September 2010

Turning once bleak urban architecture into vibrant, green, edible community spaces which help feed those in need.

McGill University’s Materials Analysis Tool (MAT) is a free online ranking system that distills manufacturer information to assist in the selection of building products that are more cost effective, healthy and environmentally responsible.

From the ammended application dated April 2 2012: Since the SPF grant was awarded, an integrated design team was formed, and following two team meetings in 2011, changes to the project plan have been recommended, mainly to include Phase 1 (building and operation audits) and Phase 2 (involvement of the McGill Community) together, which is why the Studio MMA Atelier d’architecture presented two options after their preliminary consultations (see Annex 1):

“Hitting the Benchmark” aims to create  a unique bench made of reclaimed materials for McGill’s lower-campus. With a short time-frame, low cost, and manageable scale, “Hitting the Benchmark” is designed as a pilot project to inspire further small-scale urban interventions on campus. Our vision is to construct the bench using primarily waste materials found around campus, construction sites, or disposal centres (EcoCentres).