In order to combat the rising tide of obesity as well as the lack of physical activity performed by the majority of the engineering community, the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering has decided to roll out a new “built-in” fitness plan to the recently opened Myhal Centre for Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Working with the Shouldice Hospital, located in Thornhill, Ontario, the revolutionary design for the Myhal Centre came to fruition in just three short weeks. Specialising in hernia surgeries, the Shouldice Hospital is designed to help get patients moving as to assist in their own recovery. Examples includes incentives to get people moving such as only serving food in a cafeteria, sloped hallways for easier maneuvering, and stairs with a shallow incline for greater accessibility.

Learning from the hospitals shining example, the new Myhal Centre includes eight floors of elegant stairs and only two one functional elevator. This forces students to either wait for the elevator or take the stairs. Amazingly, if one chooses to wait for elevator their workout only gets amplified! Students end up waiting so long that sprinting to the seventh floor for your 10 am meeting is the only option. But don’t worry, by the time they get up all those stairs their quads are burning and their love for the Faculty cannot be overstated.