UBCO Downtown Kelowna Project
September 2022 Renderings of UBCO Downtown Kelowna. By HCMA Architecture + Design.
Downtown Kelowna will soon be home to a world-class learning, research, living, and working facility, breathing new life into the growing tech and culture districts of the area.
UBC Properties Trust is set to start construction on UBCO Downtown, a vibrant 43-storey multi-use landmark at Doyle Ave and St Paul St.
The site will encompass eight storeys of academic space with state-of-the-art facilities, including the School of Social Work and School of Nursing, both critical to meeting the local and provincial need for more health professionals. The location will provide greater engagement between students, the community, and partners in the downtown core such as Interior Health and the Kelowna General Hospital for instance.
Housing will consist of 473 rental studio, one and two-bedroom units designed to be suitable for university students and the community alike. 8 and 12-month leases will be offered, and each unit will have a full kitchen and bathroom.
UBCO Downtown will feature spaces accessible to the public including an open concept atrium, art gallery, and public engagement suite for interdisciplinary programming. As parking is underground, the entire ground floor is dedicated to cafes, retailers, and gathering spaces adding to the dynamic bustling core.
Working closely with UBC, the City of Kelowna, and community stakeholders, the proposed building height has been finalized at 43 storeys. UBCO Downtown is thoughtfully designed to reflect the natural ethos of Kelowna with warm earth tones, mountainous landscapes, and shimmering lakes with boat sails. Planned with our environment in mind, the building meets UBC’s standard for sustainability including LEED Gold certification and Step 3 of the BC Energy Step Code, as well as a solar wall on the south façade. The single greatest contributor to GHG emissions at UBCO is commuting to and from campus as outlined in UBCO’s Climate Action Plan. The downtown campus will reduce commutes with housing in the same building, as well as its close proximity to cycling and direct mass transit routes.
UBC Properties Trust is the land leaseholder for UBC and has developed over 12 million square feet of residential buildings for UBC staff, faculty, students, and the public, and institutional learning centres across the Point Grey campus and the Okanagan. Active for over 30 years, UBCPT is focused on creating engaging spaces to live, learn, work, and spend leisure time.
UBCO Downtown will be an iconic landmark and innovation hub enriching the future of the region for years to come.
UBCO Downtown Kelowna Project from UBC Properties on Vimeo.