U of M Faculty of Engineering celebrates 100th Anniversary with new Engineering and Information Technology Complex, Donor Wall

When the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Manitoba planned its new Engineering and Information Technology Complex (EITC) they wanted a donor wall that not only honored contributors to the project’s capital campaign and celebrated the Faculty’s 100th Anniversary, but also one that reflected the school’s technical leadership and innovation.

Working from a concept design developed by Stantec Engineering, the EITC architects, Planned Legacy realized early in the process that taking a drawing of a 50’ long, illuminated glass wall from paper to reality would present significant challenges, but none that could not be overcome.

First, the Planned Legacy team had to create a system that would provide even lighting without hot spots over the wall’s entire length and height. This meant sourcing a special flat paint to diffuse light off the back wall and designing light enclosures that would allow easy access for maintenance and sufficient ventilation. Additionally, because the spacing for lighting was limited, a North American search was required for 24 fixtures small enough to fit into a confined area.

In addition to addressing the lighting challenge, Planned Legacy also needed to engineer a structure that would support 12 large 10 ml glass panels, each about 200 lbs. in a manner that would be stable but still allow for some natural shifting.

To make things even more interesting, part of the wall was situated beside a staircase with only 16” of access. And finally, working closely with a high end graphics company, Planned Legacy was able to devise a method of applying the donor names and other information to the glass panels seamlessly, using the correct shade of red.

The end result is a striking recognition display that achieves all of the technical and aesthetic objectives set out, on time and on budget!

For more detailed information on the University of Manitoba Faculty of Engineering donor wall project  please call Planned Legacy Toll Free at 1.866.882.3580 or e-mail [email protected].