Centre for the Horticulture Industry (CHI)
Horticulture is big business in Canada
The Centre for the Horticulture Industry will help the industry respond to the challenges they face through the expansion of programming and the creation of new opportunities for learners. The CHI will include the expansion of the existing Landscape Construction Pavilion and the development of Phase III of the Olds College Botanic Gardens.
With the completion of the Centre for the Horticulture Industry, the School of Horticulture will be uniquely positioned as a national-class education and business resource centre for the horticulture industry.
Landscape Pavilion Facility Expansion
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Taking the Season Out of Seasonal
The Horticulture industry is currently faced with a tremendous shortage of skilled human resources. In addition, the industry is confronted with the challenge of providing quality hands-on horticultural training from September through April. During much of this time, temperatures fall below zero, shrubs are dormant and the ground is frozen.
The Landscape Construction Pavilion is a 12,000 sq. ft. heated indoor space to accommodate hands-on horticultural training year round. The Landscape Pavilion Facility Expansion is in direct response to a growing need for space to allow sustained and manageable growth in full-time and part-time training.
The Landscape Pavilion Facility Expansion includes:
Landscape Construction Pavilion
- 498 sq. m. addition to the existing Landscape Construction Pavilion
- Irrigation Installation Labs
- Aerial Rescue/Climbing Labs
- Landscape Installation Labs
Pavilion Shop Classrooms
- 468 sq. m. addition to the existing Storage Annex
- Shop Style Classrooms
- Mezzanine
The Link
- 150 sq. m construction to connect the existing greenhouses, Pavilion Shop Classrooms and Landscape Construction Pavilion
Timeline
Construction of the Landscape Pavilion Facility Expansion is scheduled to occur in 2008/2009.
Olds College Botanic Garden Phase III
People, Plants and Water
Olds College has been training students in horticulture since 1963. The Botanic Garden is a living laboratory that was designed to support academic programming at Olds College. Phases I and II of the Olds College Botanic Garden, as well as the Promenade, were developed in partnership with industry to maintain and conserve collections of cultivars and native species grown on the northern plains.
Olds College Botanic Garden, Arboretum and Wetland will incorporate:
- naturalized landscapes
- specialty gardens
- demonstration plots
- and an arboretum.
The constructed wetland within the garden will support Alberta’s “Water for Life” strategy and provide learners with specialized training in the conservation, management and protection of water supplies and preservation of the environment.
Timeline
Landscape Pavilion Facility Expansion Timeline
Landscape Pavilion Construction Commencement for Fall 2007.
Botanic Gardens, Arboretum and Wetland Timeline
Groundbreaking of the Olds College Botanic Garden, Arboretum and Wetland scheduled to commence in the Summer/Fall of 2008, with completion in the Summer of 2010.
Get involved with the Centre for the Horticulture Industry now!
