Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

University of British Columbia Starts Construction on Gateway Building

  • By Matt Jones
  • 01/05/23

The University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, recently began construction on a new Gateway Building for the campus, according to local news. The $180-million mass timber building will stand six stories and cover about 267,000 square feet, and it will serve as the main point of entry to the campus as well as an academic building for a variety of subjects. Completion is scheduled for 2024, local news reports.

The university is partnering with architecture firm Perkins&Will for the building’s design. The firm’s website describes a central, daylit, six-story atrium featuring an interconnecting staircase and a variety of lounge spaces, as well as two five-story wings. The project’s sustainability goals include a minimum of LEED Gold and CAGBC Zero Carbon Building design certifications. The university also sought input from the indigenous Musqueam people, who own the land that the campus was built on.

“This was the first capital project where we did what we call ‘deep engagement’ with the Musqueam,” said Gerry McGeough, the university’s director of planning and design. “We went through a whole series of exploratory discussions with them where they defined what their values are they’d like to have embraced in this project.” The indigenous influence is most clearly seen in the building’s mass-timber interior.

Once complete, the new building will include research, teaching, and office space for the UBC Schools of Nursing and Kinesiology, the Faculty of Arts Language Sciences, UBC Health, and Integrated Health Services, according to the university website.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • University of Arizona Approves New Residence Hall

    The Arizona Board of Regents recently approved plans for a new residence hall at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz., according to a news release. The new facility is scheduled to open in fall 2028 and have the capacity for more than 1,200 students, enforcing a new university expectation that all first-year students live on campus.

  • Countway Library at Harvard Medical School

    From Shadows to Sanctuary: The Transformation of Light at Countway Library

    The renovation of Countway Library at Harvard Medical School demonstrates how biophilic design and advanced lighting strategies transformed a formerly dark, insular space into a vibrant, welcoming hub that supports wellness, learning, and community engagement.

  • University of Oklahoma Announces New Campus Master Plan

    The University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., recently announced that it will soon launch a new, comprehensive Campus Master Plan to guide the campus’ physical development during the next decade, according to a news release.

  • Photo credit - Chuck Coates

    Florida District Modernizes Central Energy Plants at Two High Schools

    Flagler Schools, a public school district in Flagler County, Fla., recently partnered with Matern Professional Engineering to modernize the central energy plants at two of its high schools, according to a news release. The project is part of a larger, district-wide effort to reduce energy costs and operational expenses.