New campus building expands SFU Surrey campus

April 25 was an historic day for SFU and for our campus. With a crowd of nearly 400 people, including many government dignitaries and community partners and friends, we officially opened SFU’s newest building in the heart of downtown Surrey, the first step in our Surrey campus expansion.

For all of us—from those who have been involved in getting the expansion off the ground, to those who will start teaching and learning in the new building this fall—it was a day to celebrate the completion and promise of this new Surrey landmark. Designed by the late Bing Thom, and completed by the talented teams at Revery Architecture (formerly Bing Thom Architects) and Bird Construction, this new addition to our campus will be home to the next generation of environmentally-conscious engineers, thanks to the new Sustainable Energy Engineering program.

It’s also important to note that this iconic building will be more than that. It will be a place for all SFU students, faculty and staff, and a place of engage community. The state of the art 400-seat theatre, labs, classrooms and a health and wellness space is a great addition to SFU Surrey and an asset to Surrey’s downtown.

On both fronts, this new space will add to what we’ve already started in Surrey. Over the past 16 years we’ve seen the evolution of what I call the Surrey campus “vibe”, an openness to new and great ideas and an enthusiasm for our place in the community. It’s fueled by our desire to be solution-driven, neighbor-friendly and relationship-builders within and outside the campus.

Once the building is open for classes this September, I hope you’ll have an opportunity to visit the space, marvel at its unique design, participate in a community event, and perhaps share that vibe.