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University of British Columbia Plans Health Sciences Teaching and Research Facility

Published 5/21/2021
University of British Columbia - Gateway Building
University of British Columbia - Gateway Building
University of British Columbia - Gateway Building

The University of British Columbia is planning to construct the CAD$180 million Gateway Building on the Point Grey campus in Vancouver. Designed by Perkins&Will and Schmidt Hammer Lassen, the 269,000-sf project will offer sophisticated facilities for interprofessional education and research including wet and dry laboratories, high-fidelity simulation suites, flexible classrooms, and four large lecture halls. Promoting interdisciplinary collaboration and interaction, the structure will house the School of Nursing, the School of Kinesiology, Integrated Student Health Services, space for the Health and Language Sciences Initiative, and administrative offices for UBC Health.

Featuring a six-story atrium illuminated by natural light, the building will encourage physical activity and occupant wellbeing with large interconnecting stairs that reach from the basement to the top floor. Targeting a minimum of LEED v4 Gold certification, the sustainably designed facility will integrate advanced mechanical systems, passive design strategies, mass timber structural components, and a high-performance envelope. It will also be the university’s first project constructed to meet the Canada Green Building Council’s Zero Carbon Building Standard. Completion is expected in 2024.