Planning Objectives
Objectives of the Plan
1. External
A. The university plan should encourage direct communication between the university and the adjacent residential community as well as the university and the city centre of Lethbridge
B. Attractive pedestrian walkways, linking directly the green areas of the community and the university, should provide a continuity of green space and parkland from the communitythrough the university to the river valley.
C. A simple and clear organization of the university is needed to produce simple explicit forms for the university that in every way possible will represent the most suitable plan and building form form the prairies.
D. The most important view of the university will be from the east of the Oldman River, and the massing and disposition of the buildings from this prospect must be particularly effective.
E. The buildings should be arranged to take particular advantage of the views of the river, coulee, bridge and city.
F. The buildings should be sited so that the retention and use of the coulees, as protected landscaped areas, is encouraged.
2. Internal
A. Reflection of Academic Philosophy:
The University of Lethbridge, in view of the great changes taking place in the educational policy of today, in view of legitimate student discontent, in view of the portending technological advance in electronic teaching and recording methods, and in view of the philosophy and attitudes already expressed by its faculty and administration, should take a significant step to demonstrate in its layout and physcial plant its participation in the evolution of the modern university.
B. Relationship of Disciplines:
Concomitant with this goal, the plan should reflect the earnest intent of the university to obtain as much value as possible from the interaction between various disciplines, within the limits of the academic objectives of each specific discipline. To facilitate this, the plan should concentrate on the juxtaposition of facilities so as to benefit from cross-fertilization.
C. Flexibility and Expansion:
The plan should accommodate rapid and slow change in various disciplines either by the easy expansion of one department into another space, or by providing for suitable increments for building expansion.
D. Centralization of Common Space:
Experimentation with learning situations should be encouraged, which takes the teaching space out of the classroom into a common space which can be changes easily in size and character to accommodate specific devices or experiments in teaching methods. The potential of all spaces within the university should be analysed with the intention of maximizing the exchange of knowledge and ideas.
E. Circulation:
Wherever possible the pedestrian circulation should be simple, direct and under cover, so that all parts of the university are reached without having to venture outside. At the same time, it should be attractive to traverse the university by outside routes.