The expansion of Niagara College’s new health education building serves dual purposes: addressing Ontario’s healthcare needs and meeting sustainability standards.

Currently under construction in Welland, Ont., the Niagara College Applied Health Institute expansion will add 6,967 m² (75,000 sf) of space. The project will create capacity for 800 additional students in programs such as nursing, paramedicine, and dental hygiene. It will also double access to community dental care, increasing annual patient visits from 1,500 to more than 3,000.

Designed by Montgomery Sisam Architects, the project will consolidate health programs currently spread across multiple campus locations into a purpose-built mass-timber addition connected to the existing institute.

By using mass timber, the expansion aims to achieve the Canada Green Building Council (CAGBC) Zero Carbon Building Design Standard (V4). The design maximizes natural daylight through carefully articulated facades, while solar shades and screens improve visual and thermal comfort.

The design reimagines the institute as a more accessible community hub. A new entrance, pedestrian plaza, courtyard, and light-filled atrium will create a gateway to the campus. The landscape design draws inspiration from the Niagara Escarpment.

The expansion includes a 40-chair dental clinic, dental laboratories, a virtual reality suite, classrooms, a pharmacy, paramedic labs, and a bookable multipurpose clinic.

Several facilities will be open to the public, delivering high-quality healthcare services while giving students valuable supervised clinical experience.

Phase one of the project will open in August 2027, the college says.