Productivity and Innovation Centre

NAIT's front door for industry

At 17,650 square metres (190,000 square feet), the Productivity and Innovation Centre (PIC) will include advanced manufacturing labs, acceleration spaces for small and medium-sized businesses and a dedicated hub for applied research activity. Set to open in fall 2018, the centre has been purposefully designed to encourage clients, partners and staff to collaborate in a state-of-the-art space.

Building on NAIT’s established strengths and historic relationship with industry, PIC will be transformative for Alberta. Funding for PIC was made possible through the Government of Canada’s Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund. PIC will be the first building at NAIT dedicated to helping industry partners become globally competitive.
The building, located on the north side of campus includes a variety of innovative features that will allow our industry partners and clients a place to expand ideas and explore solutions.

Flexible workspaces

Workspaces will be adaptable in size and functionality, ranging from private offices, café-style lounges and temporary workstations. Business clients and guests will have access to kitchen areas and secure storage locations.

Education and training

PIC provides flexible space for client training and business innovation services. Second-floor classrooms have adjacent breakout rooms for convenient collaboration. A “model learning space” on the third floor will include 4 large monitors, 1 on each wall, to allow for breakout sessions and group work.

Cutting-edge applied research

The centre will also host NAIT’s Centre for Oil Sands Sustainability and the Centre for Sensors and System Integration. PIC will provide future space for applied research focused on construction, water technologies, distributed energy and more.

LEED Certified Design

PIC is being built to LEED certification standards, which recognize sustainability in design and construction. Photovoltaic panels installed above the glass canopy in the main foyer will generate 58 kilowatts of electricity per hour and will be used in distributed energy research. 

The Productivity and Innovation Centre will be the place industry comes for solutions and to succeed, to promote a culture of collaboration and innovation that is essential for Alberta.