Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1408886
68 | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1 Nechako Residence and Commons Block – UBC Okanagan P H OTO G R A P H Y BY L I P S E T T P H OTO G R A P H Y G RO U P/CO U RT E SY SA H U R I + PA RT N ER S A RC H I T EC T U R E; SAWC H U K D E V ELO P M EN T S NECHAKO RESIDENCE AND COMMONS BLOCK – UBC OKANAGAN by ROBIN BRUNET A sk Craig Shirra, direc- tor, development at UBC Properties Trust, what under- scored the Nechako Residence and Commons Block project at the University of British Columbia Okanagan campus, and he replies, "Dining, in part. Specifically, our resi- dences at the Vancouver campus have dining halls that are fabulous commu- nity hubs, but not in the Okanagan. So when it came time to add residences to that campus, the Student Housing Community Services specifically requested dining halls as a way to fos- ter student engagement." Thanks to Teeple Architects, Sahuri + Partners Architecture, construc- tion manager Sawchuk Developments, and a host of trades, the Nechako Housing Commons is shaping up to be an important landmark on the Okanagan campus – as well as a facility whose design respects the architecture of surrounding build- ings yet at the same time exudes a distinctly modern esthetic. Located at the south end of the Commons Field, the new LEED Gold facility brings together living space with learning space, including study areas, retail and recreation spaces, social spaces, and administrative offices for UBC Okanagan staff. It also includes a 500-seat dining hall, intended to be the focal point of the entire campus. The residence provides 220 rooms, including several accessi- ble single room and washroom suites. Shirra says, "We retained the archi- tects in the fall of 2017. With an office in Kelowna, Sahuri acted very much as our 'feet on the ground,' and we thought Teeple's work on the Langara College Science & Technology Building [a five-storey distinctly modernist structure with a defining cantilever] was outstanding. We were excited by this pairing of high calibre talent." UBC has strict design guidelines for any new facility, and any deviations are subtle, not grand gestures. "That's a philosophy that dovetails with ours," says Teeple's principal and lead design architect, Stephen Teeple. "Also, UBC was enormously helpful in giving us tours of the Vancouver campus: there, we quickly realized that they employed layers of student engagement in their buildings, from stores and integrated gyms to ballrooms and hubs outside of the residences, in addition to the din- ing halls. This very much informed our design for Nechako." The architects imagined Nechako as a four-storey linear residen- tial bar perched above the dynamic form of two levels of public space. The two-storey base accommodates shared amenities and 'commons block' programs. Main entrances and key program areas were designed to naturally tie into pedestrian routes and are signalled and ani- mated by facade transparency. The residential bar consists of efficient yet accommodating rooms that frame the campus' Commons Field to the north and complement the massing of surrounding existing residences. The shared spaces of the residential bar link upward, joining the project into a single whole. Teeple says, "We tried to create a dynamic flow and interaction through- out the building, one example being an open stairway near the elevator that is glazed to each floor lounge, so students going up or down would be encouraged to visit lounges other than their own." LOCATION 1255 International Mews, Kelowna, B.C. OWNER /DEVELOPER UBC Properties Trust ARCHITECTS Teeple Architects / SAHURI + Partners Architecture CONSTRUCTION MANAGER Sawchuk Developments STRUCTUR AL /BUILDING ENVELOPE CONSULTANT RJC Engineers MECHANICAL CONSULTANT AME Group ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Jarvis Engineering TOTAL SIZE 130,000 square feet TOTAL COST $51 million