Impact Infrastructure
Focusing on managing the process on behalf of clients to develop infrastructure projects for the public good that provides long-term social benefits for communities.
Stakeholder Engagement
Developing innovative processes and structures to enable organizations to successfully engage with stakeholders to understand needs and implement plans to ensure success.
Design as Activism
Using design as an interdisciplinary practice to view our societal challenges through various critical lenses. Exploring solutions for growth based on strong principles of equity, sustainability and innovative technology.
New Student Centre Benefits the Next Generation of York University Students
York University had a period of rapid expansion in the two decades after the first student centre was built in 1991, with a student population doubling to over 50,000 students. This rapid growth created challenges for students to access study, social, recreational, and multi-faith prayer spaces on campus. Identifying this challenge with campus partners, 6 Degrees Consulting Managing Principal Siva Vimalachandran led the New Student Centre project from an initial vision to a formal agreement between York University and the York University Student Centre (YUSC), and finally a $72M, 126,000 sq/ft space to serve the cultural, social, educational, organizational and recreational needs of the York community.
A memorandum of understanding between the university and YUSC was signed in June 2013, outlining the terms of reference for the financing, design and construction of the new facility. In October 2013, Siva led the referendum campaign to authorize the collection of a student levy to fund the design, construction, financing and operation of the New Student Centre. The referendum produced the highest voter turnout at a post-secondary institution in Canadian history with near unanimous approval from the student body.
As Co-Chair of the User Committee, Siva oversaw the design direction of the building, leading a comprehensive community engagement exercise with more than 11,000 participants across York community to determine what services and facilities the building would have. As a permanent member of the Project Committee, he coordinated the project scope, time and budget, while overseeing strategic planning and execution public relations, communications and stakeholder management for YUSC.
The project was successfully delivered in Spring of 2018 – on time, and under budget with no scope changes.
Since then, the project has received numerous awards and recognition, elevating the YUSC and York University on the national and international stage for educational design and infrastructure.