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

  • Esports are Growing in Popularity

    Video games and esports are a popular social hobby, and it’s one that’s accessible to a wide variety of physical ability levels. Some esport student-athletes have started to earn scholarship opportunities, and high schools are beginning to form teams equipped with the same degree of resources as their physical sports teams. However, the two have very different needs.

  • Minnesota District Completes Renovations to 3 Schools

    South Washington County Schools in Woodbury, Minn., recently completed major renovation projects to three of its schools, according to a news release. The district partnered with Kraus-Anderson for construction services, and the upgrades were part of a larger referendum that voters approved in fall 2024.

  • Western Kentucky University Breaks Ground on First Phase of $350M Student Housing Project

    Western Kentucky University (WKU) in Bowling Green, Ky., recently broke ground on the first phase of a $350-million student housing initiative, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Gilbane Development through a public-private partnership (P3) to replace aging residence halls and modernize on-campus living accommodations.