Site Tours

The tour of the University of British Columbia’s Biosciences Complex is an opportunity where the visitor can see and learn about the resiliency in design exhibited through renovation and new construction of new teaching and research facilities.

The new UBC BioSciences Renewal project is integrated within the existing UBC Biological Sciences Complex and for the first time in its history the life sciences teaching programs exist within a single complex. The architectural intervention injected life into the complex creating a 155,000 square foot comprehensive facility.

The project’s extensive renovation to the 40-year-old north wing takes full advantage of the embodied energy and carbon used to produce the concrete structure and precast concrete cladding system.

The demolition of the centre wing allowed the strategic addition of the new four-storey east wing to further reinforce the uniqueness of this building campus. The strategic placement of the east wing strengthened and built new avenues of collaboration amongst disparate faculties for both teaching and research. The faculty of Science and Medicine have teaching labs next to each other with post-doctoral and graduate student offices, a bio-imaging facility, teaching greenhouse and aquatics research courtyard all accessed through a network of outdoor and indoor spaces. Connections to all levels of the existing complex are maintained by new elevated connections to the Biological Sciences west wing and a new three-storey bridge connection to the Biological Sciences south wing. The connections are important for collaboration and cross pollination and to further encourage collision amongst faculties.

The purpose-built teaching laboratories are designed for each bioscience discipline’s unique needs, from biochemistry and molecular biology to physiological sciences and botany. A high standard of health and safety requirements that looked at the human aspect of sustainability was applied to the design of the laboratories to ensure healthy learning conditions for students and staff. Understanding if compounds are heavier than air resulted in custom exhaust solutions that draws gases away from students rather than a more conventional system that would draw gases towards the ceiling and in a direct path with students.

The shape and position of the existing centre wing created several small, disjointed courtyards that were not easily accessible. By demolishing the centre building and adding a new east wing, an open, permeable, and dynamic outdoor space was created. The courtyard forms the communal centre of the complex that provides a resource for teaching and draws the greater UBC community in to gather and enjoy the outdoor space.

Buildings of this nature are inherently significant consumers of energy and considering the building’s lifespan, the project’s mandate to achieve LEED Gold and an EUI target of 330, sustainable best practices were essential to inform the design strategies throughout the facilities.

The tour will be co-led by the UBC’s Project Manager, the Mechanical Engineer and Architect.  The tour will provide insight to the design, commissioning and occupancy of the facility that was design before the pandemic but occupied during and after the covid safety restrictions were lifted.