Exchange Residences
The Exchange Residence student housing project was more than just another building. Along with providing 650 beds across four 5-14 storey towers, it also houses the two-storey transit exchange below, introducing additional complexity to the project.
The transit exchange was originally planned to be a standalone project, but due to cost and neighbourhood impacts, we worked with UBC and Translink to bring forward a solution which combined student residence with transit exchange. The project would make full use of the space with the residence built on top of the exchange, as well as providing an additional benefit for the students to live next to transit.
The residence is primarily for upper-year students, while unit types are in suite-style configurations (micro units, studios, 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-bedroom units with kitchen) including some larger studios and 1-bedroom units. We worked with Student Housing & Hospitality Services (SHHS) to implement a new unit-type as a micro suite at 145 sq ft to assist in addressing affordability issues for some students. Typical residence amenities also include a lobby, front desk, house lounge, meeting/study rooms, bike storage, fitness/games room, music practice rooms and laundry.
