All of NSCAD University moving to the Halifax Seaport

All of NSCAD University is moving to the Halifax Seaport in the next seven years so that the school will be fully accessible by 2030, as required by the Nova Scotia government.

On Tuesday, NSCAD which has three distinct campuses in downtown Halifax announced itsigned a long-term agreement with the Halifax Port Authority "to create an accessible, unified campus that will be the cornerstone of the vibrant creative and social district at the Halifax Seaport."

"I just believeNSCAD deserves to be all together," Peggy Shannon, president of NSCAD University, told CBC News. "So while this is going to take a long time, I'm excited because it's on the port, it's beautiful."

NSCAD University,formerly known as the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, already has one of itsthree campuses locatedat the Halifax Seaport.

It's not clear what will happen to the other two downtown Halifax sites,but a spokesperson for the university told CBCNews in an email there isno rush to make a decision.

"Of course, everything must be complete by 2030 when provincial legislation will require all public buildings to be fully accessible," the university explained on a section of its website dedicated to the moving project.

Making buildings accessiblegenerally includes entrance ramps, power-assisted doors,elevatorsand larger washroom stalls to accommodate wheelchairs and other mobility aids.

The new leased spacesat Shed 22 and 23 will add approximately 100,000 square feet toNSCAD's existing footprint at Port Campus, the university said in the news release. The cost of the lease has not been disclosed.

Shannon said the next step will be a call for proposals, then finding a design and construction team. She estimated construction would begin in five years and the move would be complete in seven years.

"As people arrive in Halifax by water and they pull in, we will be one of the first things representing this beautiful city. They'll see NSCAD. And I think that's so unbelievably exciting," Shannon said.