Student Central Featured in Blog Arido

Student Central becomes campus landmark with blue and yellow refresh

Bortolotto's Student Central at Lakehead University was featured in Blog Arido. 

Lakehead University had two concerns with the reimagining of their Student Central space in a pre-existing building. First, they required a space that could serve a variety of student needs, while presenting a welcoming face to potential students on recruitment tours.

Interior Designer: Tania Bortolotto, ARIDO

Design Firm: Bortolotto Design Architect

Photographer: Tom Arban

Lakehead Student Central 

Student Central is the first point of contact for every Lakehead University visitor, and the place where campus tours begin for future students and their family and friends. For existing students, Student Central was designed to offer easy and convenient access to services while improving interactions with students from enrolment, throughout their academic career, to graduation.

The design and materials used for the revamped centre were carefully chosen to express this friendly welcome. Warm wood flooring and custom furnishings combine with a calming blue -Lakehead's signature colour- on benches and feature walls, while elements in metal mesh and white provide a clean, modern contrast. Consciously used curves - in the main doorway, in the rounded floor-to-ceiling bench at the entrance, in the semi-private consultation cubicles -emphasize the friendly feel, embracing visitors and drawing them in. That same notion of flow repeats in the linear counter/bench to the right, which provides multiple plug-ins at varying heights - seated, standing and wheelchair levels - for mobile device users.

Best of all, where there was once just blank drywall and brick, Student Central now has its brand writ large on a new glass wall that borders the main quad. Not only does this let more light in the space, it makes this important campus component highly visible, according it landmark status.