University of Waterloo - Campus

Campus

The main campus is located along University Avenue in Waterloo, Ontario on what was, until the 1960s, farmland. Since its creation, a considerable level of commercial and residential development has built up around the Waterloo campus, notably with many offices of high-tech firms. This has resulted in a major urban expansion into the surrounding rural areas, with a consequent loss of prime farmland and degradation of natural areas.

Over a period of five years (2003–2008), the University experienced its second largest building boom since the 1960s. New buildings completed include the Tatham Building (Co-op Education), the Environmental and Information Technologies Building (chiefly Earth Sciences and Electrical Engineering), expansions to Burt Matthews Hall (Applied Health Sciences) and J.G. Hagey Hall, a building for the School of Architecture, a new Solar Technologies Building, a major addition to the School of Optometry Building, and sundry additions to several Engineering buildings. Construction of the Math 3, the Environment 3, and Engineering 6 buildings have reached completion and opened their doors in the fall of 2011. Completion of the Quantum Nano Centre was also completed in the fall of 2012.

To commemorate individuals who have made major contributions to the University of Waterloo, some buildings, most notably in the Engineering realm, have been renamed. Three examples include Engineering 4 becoming Carl Pollock Hall, Engineering Lecture Hall becoming Rod Coutts Hall, and the aforementioned Engineering 1 becoming the Douglas Wright Engineering Building. Some buildings, such as the Davis Centre (William G. Davis Computer Research Centre), the J.G. Hagey Hall of the Humanities, and Ira G. Needles Hall (Administration) were named after people at their time of inception.

The geographical coordinates of the main UW campus, using the NAD 83 datum, are 43°28′14″N 80°32′50″W / 43.47056°N 80.54722°W / 43.47056; -80.54722.

The School of Architecture was relocated to a former mill in Cambridge, Ontario, in 2004.

A new campus for the health sciences program has been built in Kitchener, Ontario and includes a satellite of McMaster University’s Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine and the School of Pharmacy. The building opened in December 2008. The building has unique elements, such as a colourful curtain wall featuring images of medicinal plants and its use of natural materials such as wood.

The Waterloo Summit Centre for the Environment was opened in 2011 in partnership with the Town of Huntsville, and is located in Huntsville, Ontario. It is currently used as a research and teaching site for the Faculty of Environment.

University of Waterloo has a series of residences: University of Waterloo Place; Wellesley Court North; Wellesley Court South; William Lyon Mackenzie King Village; Tutors' Residence; Columbia Lake Townhouses; Minota Hagey Residence; Ron Eydt Village (REV, formerly Village 2); Village 1, and Sweeney Hall. Conrad Grebel University College has a Residence Building. St. Jerome's University College has J.R. Finn Residence and Sweeney Hall.