University of Waterloo campus tour: co-op, maths and the sugar cube

The University of Waterloo opened in 1957 in a small Ontario city about 110 km west of Toronto, and it was built around an idea that was new to Canada: co-operative education, in which students alternate terms in the classroom with terms of paid work. That idea, together with an early bet on mathematics and computing, turned a young university into the centre of one of the country's main technology regions. The campus is modern rather than historic, so the interest here lies in how the place works as much as in how it looks. This guide covers both.

The shape of the campus

The main campus sits inside Ring Road, a loop about half an hour's walk around, and nearly every teaching building is within it. Many are joined by tunnels and enclosed bridges, which students appreciate in January.

The centre is the Dana Porter Library and the lawns around it, with the arts buildings nearby.
The north side belongs to mathematics and computer science.
The east side, towards the railway and the light rail stop, is engineering.
The west side, across Laurel Creek, holds the residences and the affiliated university colleges.
North campus, beyond Columbia Street, has playing fields, Columbia Lake, an ice arena and a research and technology park.

Dana Porter Library

The Dana Porter Library is the landmark everyone uses for directions: a tall white concrete cube on a rise at the centre of campus, finished in 1965 and known to generations of students as the sugar cube. It houses the arts and humanities collections, and the upper floors have wide views over the campus and the city. A second large library, in the Davis Centre, serves science and engineering.

Mathematics and computer science

Waterloo has had a separate Faculty of Mathematics since 1967, which is unusual in North America, and its computer science school has an international reputation. The faculty's home is the Mathematics and Computer building, a heavy concrete block from the 1960s. Its mascot is a pink tie, a nod to the loud neckties worn by an early professor, and during orientation each autumn a giant one is hung down the side of the building.

Next door, and joined to it by a bridge, is the Davis Centre, opened in the late 1980s. It is the most distinctive building on campus: a long glass-roofed hall with exposed pipes and red steelwork, deliberately styled to look like the inside of a machine.

Engineering and the Quantum-Nano Centre

Engineering was the university's founding discipline and occupies a chain of buildings along the east side of Ring Road, from the original 1950s and 1960s halls to newer glass-fronted blocks with student design studios and garages for the solar car and other team projects. The engineers' mascot, a giant chrome pipe wrench known simply as the Tool, appears at major events under careful guard.

Between engineering and science stands the Mike and Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre, opened in 2012. Part of it is wrapped in a honeycomb lattice of steel and glass; inside, one wing is devoted to quantum computing research and the other to nanotechnology. Mike Lazaridis was a Waterloo student when he founded the company that later created the BlackBerry.

How co-op works

Co-op is the reason many students choose Waterloo. The university teaches in three terms a year, and co-op students alternate four-month study terms with four-month work terms, so that by graduation they have typically completed several paid placements. Applications and interviews are organised through the Tatham Centre, the building near the main entrance where employers come to meet students.

The pattern shapes everyday life. A co-op degree usually takes closer to five years than four, classmates are away in different terms, and the campus is nearly as busy in summer as in winter. Students move often, so short leases and sublets are a normal part of housing in the city.

Residences, colleges and student life

Most first-year students live in the university's residences on the west side of campus, a short walk across Ring Road from classes. They range from traditional halls built in the 1960s to newer buildings, and each has its own dining arrangements. Beside them are four affiliated university colleges, each with its own residence and a smaller community feel: St. Jerome's, Renison, Conrad Grebel and United College.

The Student Life Centre, near the middle of campus, is the hub for clubs, food and late-night study. The athletics complex is next door, and the teams are the Warriors.

One more local fact: the campus is home to a large population of Canada geese, which nest beside the paths every spring and defend their territory with enthusiasm.

Waterloo, Kitchener and the region

Uptown Waterloo: the city's centre, with restaurants, cafés and a public square, about 20 minutes on foot through Waterloo Park or a few minutes by light rail.
Wilfrid Laurier University: a second university a short walk east along University Avenue.
Kitchener: the larger twin city to the south, with the regional train station and an annual Oktoberfest that reflects the area's German heritage.
St. Jacobs: a village and well-known farmers' market just north of the city, in Mennonite farming country.

Visiting the campus

The grounds are open, and a walk around Ring Road with a detour to the library and the Davis Centre takes about an hour. The university typically offers tours for prospective students; what is available changes through the year, so check its official visitor page for current arrangements.

Getting there and around

By car: Waterloo is about an hour and a quarter from Toronto along Highway 401 in light traffic, and longer at busy times.
By train and bus: trains run between Toronto and Kitchener, and intercity buses serve the region; the ION light rail links Kitchener's centre with a stop at the edge of campus.
By air: Toronto Pearson is the main international airport, roughly an hour away by road. The region also has a small airport of its own.
On foot: everything inside Ring Road is walkable.

Where families usually base themselves

Near the universities and Uptown Waterloo: the most convenient, and close to restaurants.
Kitchener: more choice, linked by light rail.
Toronto: possible as a day trip; see our guide on where to stay in Toronto, and our University of Toronto campus tour if you are visiting both.

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Cover photo: JFVoll, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons