Award

J U N E 2 0 2 3 | 73 Student Housing and Dining – University of Victoria P H OTO G R A P H Y BY B R E T T H I TC H I N S/CO U RT E S Y U N I V ER S I T Y O F V I C TO R I A STUDENT HOUSING AND DINING – UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA by JESSICA KIRBY E very construction project is unique and comes with chal- lenges, successes, and design innovations that challenge construc- tion and design teams to reach new heights. But the Student Housing and Dining project at University of Victoria (U Vic) is truly something North America has never seen before. It encompasses two new buildings on campus totalling more than 32,000 square metres of gross floor area. In addition to 398 student beds, the first building features the Cove dining hall, which serves the entire cam- pus. The second building provides two 225-seat classrooms, an Indigenous student lounge and meeting rooms on the ground level, a conference centre on level two, and 385 student beds in nine storeys above that. A new plaza between the buildings – connected to the Campus Greenway – includes an 18,000-litre capacity stormwater retention pond, seating areas, and Indigenous plantings. "The University's primary goal was to provide much-needed on-campus housing for 620 undergraduate stu- dents currently living off campus," says Mike Wilson, director, office of Campus Planning and Sustainability, U Vic. "The two new buildings offer new 'community style' living options and generous public spaces that will form the heart of the project." Alex Minard, architect with Perkins&Will, says the design team looked to the location for design inspiration. "Our goal was to create a heart for the student housing pre- cinct and provide a framework for its future development," he says. "We also wanted to capture the spirit of the campus and its wider context." There was also a high level of con- sultation with the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations. In spring 2023, Elders from both groups, univer- sity representatives, and community members gathered to reveal the build- ings' names – gifted by the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations – and to thank and honour those Nations for per- mission to use lək ʷəŋən names. Building 1 is called Čeqʷəŋín ʔéʔləŋ (Cheko'nien House), the name given to the territory that is now Oak Bay, and the Peoples who lived there. Building 2 is called Sŋéqə ʔéʔləŋ (Sngequ House), after a village in what is now known as Cadboro Bay. Indigenous artwork will be fea- tured in both buildings. Paving on the campus greenway to the south of Cheko'nien House features a weaving pattern, and lights along the greenway will also project a Coast Salish design. The University wanted to work in shades of grey rather than in colours, so the team brought warmth to the dining hall with wood. An exterior metal cladding in a cus- tom profile, created by a local fabrication shop, gives the buildings a unique and dynamic appear- ance on a very tight budget, despite being large and repetitive forms. On the interior, the team endeav- oured to use the primary structural system as the organizing principle for the interior appearance. "The concrete structure of each building establishes a grid within which simple finishes are inlaid," Minard says. "Cheko'nien House extends and embellishes the concrete grid with mass timber." U Vic chose Passive House certifi- cation because it focuses on healthy indoor environments for students, energy efficiency, carbon reduction in building system design, and pro- viding buildings that are ready for a 2050 climate. "We strove to pro- vide buildings that went beyond LEED Gold and were designed to be energy efficient and resilient to climate change," Wilson says. Setting an incredible prece- dent for Passive House construction in North America, the Student Housing and Dining project is the largest Passive House project ever built in Canada and the larg- est commercial kitchen built to the standard in North America. "It is of a different scale than any- thing that has been done before," Minard says. "Finding the right team to build something never done before in the country was important." The design called for a high- performance envelope and judicious use of high-quality cur- tain wall, placed where it would have the biggest impact. Mass tim- ber and strategic solar shading also reduce the carbon footprint. LOCATION Cheko'nien House 2425 Sinclair Road, Victoria, B.C. | Sngequ House 2429 Sinclair Road, Victoria, B.C. OWNER University of Victoria ARCHITECT Perkins&Will PROJECT MANAGER Colliers Project Leaders CONSTRUCTION MANAGER EllisDon Kinetic (joint venture) STRUCTUR AL CONSULTANT Fast + Epp MECHANICAL CONSULTANT Introba ELECTRICAL /CIVIL / COMMISSIONING CONSULTANT WSP L ANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Hapa Collaborative BUILDING ENVELOPE/ PASSIVE HOUSE CONSULTANT RDH TR AFFIC CONSULTANT Bunt & Associates Engineering TOTAL SIZE 16,600 square metres (Cheko'nien House); 15,900 square metres (Sngequ House) TOTAL COST $229.2 million

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