A modern, multi-story building with large glass windows glows with interior lights at dusk. The structure is surrounded by bare trees and a few bicycles parked outside.
Education, Post-Secondary

University of British Columbia Earth Sciences Building

Client:
UBC Properties Trust

Consultant:
Busby Perkins + Will

Contract Type:
Construction Management

Project Size:
13,500 sq. m
(145,300 sq. ft)

Duration:
28 months

Project Value:
$51,000,000

Modern glass and steel building with large windows illuminated from within at dusk, featuring clean architectural lines and a paved walkway in the foreground.

The building includes a five-storey atrium and a showstopping wood staircase. The facility provides learning spaces for more than 7,000 students, including three lecture theatres ranging in size from 70 to 350 seats, leading-edge wet laboratories, clean room laboratories, and high headroom laboratories with two- and five-tonne overhead cranes for large-scale experiments. The wet labs were constructed using a flexible lab system design that incorporated a ceiling track system for all mechanical, electrical, and gas services, allowing the lab benches and work stations to be reconfigured for future expansion.

Bird’s experience with complex, large-scale projects was utilized from the start of the highly integrated design process. The project is LEEDregistered Gold certified, and among the measures implemented were extensive solar shading and systems that reclaim waste heat from the labs. Bird also worked with the consultants to design a near-zero thermal energy waste heating and cooling system to add to the building’s energy cost savings.

Modern building interior with large glass windows, wooden beams, multiple staircases, and a spacious lobby area. Outside, trees are visible through tall windows. The space is well-lit and open, with a polished floor.
Modern office interior with a large central staircase made of wood and glass railings, surrounded by glass walls and open workspaces on multiple levels, with bright lighting and high ceilings.
A modern industrial workspace with glass walls, exposed pipes, red and white furniture, and a view of a large lab or manufacturing area below. The space is brightly lit with overhead lights.