Established in 1877, the University of Manitoba was the first post-secondary institution to serve Western Canada. As a result, many faculty buildings require interior and exterior renovations to bring them up to contemporary codes and standards. 

The university engaged ft3 to upgrade the Robson Hall building's exterior entrances. Robson Hall houses the university's Faculty of Law department, and the vision behind these refurbishments aimed to create a formal sense of arrival while providing a gathering space for staff and students to discuss and debate.

The redesign transformed the entrances into a space for arriving and gathering, reinforcing the character and significance of the Faculty of Law. Mimicking Robson Hall's interior moot court's auditorium-style seating, the plaza elicits ample yet intimate room for ideas and opinions to form and take shape. 

By incorporating softscaping at the east entrance and covering the structural paving slabs at the west improved the overall site through a cohesive design language. The design also includes a new poured-in-place structural slab, plantings and a custom-tiered bench system with integrated planters, adding warmth, colour vibrancy to encourage inspired thinking.