Kobayashi + Zedda to design Centre for Northern Innovation in Mining building at Yukon College

August 26, 2014

WHITEHORSE – Yukon College is pleased to announce Kobayashi + Zedda Architects Ltd. as the successful proponent for the contract to design the new Centre for Northern Innovation in Mining building. The award-winning Whitehorse-based architecture and planning firm came out ahead of five bids for the contract.

Funding for design and construction of the Centre for Northern Innovation in Mining (CNIM) building was announced last year by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Yukon Premier Darrell Pasloski.  Government of Yukon has also committed funding across five years in operations and maintenance finding to support CNIM programming.

“We are pleased with the high quality of competitive proposals we received to take on the challenge of designing the next step in the evolution of Yukon College,” said Shelagh Rowles, CNIM Executive Director. “Kobayashi + Zedda Architects Ltd. is a local company with a proven track record of designing unique, sustainable buildings that are practical and welcoming. They bring a high calibre team to the table and we look forward to seeing what they come up with.”

“We are very pleased to have been awarded the CNIM project.  Our firm tries to take a hands-on approach to architecture by allying our operations more closely with the trades.  Designing for students working in the trades and mining sector is a good fit,” said Jack Kobayashi, Kobayashi + Zedda Architects Ltd.

The design phase for the CNIM building is expected to take up to 6 months, with construction taking place in 2015/16. The new building will be located behind the Yukon Arts Centre, close to the existing trades wing, and within the current footprint of buildings that make up Yukon Place.

The Centre for Northern Innovation in Mining at Yukon College is a one-stop, state-of-the-art training facility with innovative and flexible employment and career training to best suit Yukon labour needs. Through the Yukon Research Centre, CNIM conducts applied research to grow and improve the competitiveness of Yukon’s mining sector and its environmental sustainability.

CNIM training is already underway. In the past 18 months, CNIM has graduated 40 students from Heavy Equipment Operator, Dual Credit Welding, Geological Technology, and Introduction to Underground and Surface Mining programs.

Since its inception, Kobayashi + Zedda Architects Ltd. has worked on more than 500 design projects in the Yukon, Northwest Territories, Alberta, and British Columbia. These projects vary in scale from private residential renovations to the new $65 million Whitehorse Correctional Centre. The firm has a combined experience of 40 years working in the Yukon in every eco-region of the Territory and is recognized throughout Canada for its First Nations and sustainable architecture.