HISTORY AND FEATURES

Acadia University has always been on the technological cutting-edge. The K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre and the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens have provided Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia with a unique array of research resources for study in the natural sciences. The K.C. Irving center was erected adjacent to the existing Patterson Hall. The two buildings are connected by tunnel and the Irving Center was finished construction in the later 2000s. The center features phytotrons, freezers and growth chambers which provide researchers with a very flexible and adaptable system to increase understanding of environmental understand realistic environmental effects. The Botanical Gardens also features a Wetland Research Laboratory which provides specialized equipment for the study our unique climate.

The K.C. Irving Center is also an indoor study area. Students, professors and the public are able to access the conference centers or the classrooms. This is a typical office setting in the K.C. Irving Center. The center considers Feng Shui and certain indoor artistic aspects. Many areas in the center are designed in warm colors bringing in natural elements of nature. Simplicity is a thing of the Irving Center and is featured in every corner of the center. Traditional field study is complimented with molecular biology and analytical laboratories. Other onsite resources include the Irving Biodiversity Collection, the largest herbarium in Eastern North America and a living collection of over 600 species of plants of the Acadian Forest Region.