UBC Okanagan ICI Building

The University of British Columbia Okanagan’s (UBCO’s) Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Innovation (ICI) Building is a catalyst for the convergence of social and natural sciences, humanities, as well as creative and professional disciplines alike. It will bring together and support scholars, researchers, and students from across the University’s entire research spectrum and organize them into functional teams.

Indigeneity is the overarching theme for the building, which will be the new home for the Interior Salish Studies program and the Bachelor of Nsyilxcn Language Fluency (BNLF) program. The Indigenous & Community Engagement Space included in the building comprises language labs, a multi-purpose room (20 seats), collection room, student lounge, Elder’s room and Speaker-In-Residence office(s). This space is adjacent to the 100-seat round “gathering” space, which is available for all users in the building (and campus) and incorporates Indigenous design ideas.

This four-storey building comprises concrete flat slab floors on concrete columns with long-spanning post-tensioned beams spanning over the breezeway and the main lecture hall. Conventional concrete shear walls provide lateral resistance against wind and seismic loads. The breezeway allows for an open connection from Alumni Avenue to an existing pond that is to be used for stormwater catchment. A single-storey basement sits below grade and houses additional laboratory equipment and mechanical services. To meet sustainability goals, the concrete is made up of Portland-Limestone cement and utilizes supplementary cementitious materials.

Targeting LEED® Gold certification, this building implements various complementary passive design principles aimed to reduce operational energy and overall carbon loads. Overall, the ICI Building will consume 63% less energy and emit 92% fewer emissions, compared to a LEED® baseline facility.