BCBusiness

48 B C B U S I N E S S . C A A P R I L / M AY 2 0 2 5 WALK THIS WAY VanAir Design is opening up new ways of making doors more efficient and environmentally sound WHEN THE BRASS at UBC's faculty of applied science and its Sauder School of Business decided to join forces to create the New Venture Design course, the ideal, perfect outcome was probably something like VanAir Design. The interdisciplinary course brings together engineering and business students over two terms to generate an idea, develop a product and form its business case. "The entire class of 40 or 50 students was locked in a room until we emerged as groups of six—three engineers, three business students," remembers James Higgins. Higgins, an engineering student, found his way to Vick Yau, who was working on his business degree. "We formed our group based on a shared interest in sustainability," says Higgins, who had a background in building science. "Every time you open up part of a building for air flow, there's an acoustic consideration." The pair started VanAir Design over a decade ago and set out to manufacture doors with built-in ventilation and an integrated system that circulates between rooms, providing better air qual- ity and more consistent temperatures. They also figured out a way to merge a sleek look and sound suppression equivalent to a solid-core door. "We call it door-tex," says Yau with a laugh. "We use acoustic foam that acts like a muffler. So as the sound is going in and out of the door, it's absorbed on both sides. I jokingly say it's like the moon landing in door technology. That's as exciting as it's going to get." The use case is evident in both residential homes—laundry closets, for instance, need to be ventilated and ideally keep sound in—while the benefits for office and commercial spaces are huge for the environment in terms of keeping rooms temperature controlled as well as restricting noise. And while it's technically been operating for about 12 years, one gets the sense VanAir is just getting started. Last year, the company had three employees in its warehouse facility in Burnaby. This year, it's up to eight, with plans to expand to 20 in the near future. It's also partnered with Washington-based Lynden Door Inc. to make its doors at scale. All told, the company has supplied doors to some 500 clients across North America, including 60 doors for the renovation of the top two floors of the Vancouver Public Library's central branch. The company has expanded its business model, too, to include making components for other door manufacturers. "There are lots of different door manufacturers in North America—they all make a similar product, and all buy components," says Yau. The end goal? Changing something, even just a little bit, that's been part of the world for centuries. "Doors haven't changed in the last hundred years," says Yau. They open and close and don't do much else. Windows have evolved—single, double, triple pane. We think the door can do a lot more in the context of your home or building. That's kind of our mandate."—N.C. "We use acoustic foam that acts like a muffler. So as the sound is going in and out of the door, it's absorbed on both sides. I jokingly say it's like the moon landing in door technology."-Vick Yau CASE CLOSED VanAir Design founders Vick Yau (left) and James Higgins make doors with built-in ventilation and noise suppression Va n A ir D e s i g n

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