School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Waterloo

Waterloo, Ontario

RDHA has been responsible for Waterloo’s School of Optometry from its inception in 1974 through to its most recent addition in 2009. Its academic programs are tightly linked to professional practice. The building therefore has a dual nature which includes both academic facilities and functioning optometry clinics which also serve as teaching and learning environments. The 2009 addition includes a 125-seat lecture theatre, a new library, individual group study spaces, a cafeteria, a museum, and a laser eye surgery clinic. To build on the faculty's relationship to the science of optics, the addition uses a variety of clear and translucent glass assemblies and applied graphics.