Faculty and staff housing targeting Passive House certification opens at UBC 

Faculty and staff rental housing at UBC’s Vancouver campus has evolved, with the first residents moving into their new homes at one of Canada’s largest residential buildings targeting Passive House certification. 

Evolve is a new 110-unit faculty and staff rental building in UBC’s Wesbrook Place neighbourhood. Passive House-certified buildings consume up to 90 per cent less heating and cooling energy than conventional buildings. 

The first of its kind on UBC’s Vancouver campus, Evolve aims to be one of the most energy-efficient multi-family residential buildings in Canada. It will provide an unprecedented opportunity to study the benefits and trade-offs of Passive House construction, and share the learnings for the public good. 

Read the full article 

Latest Facility Condition Index (FCI) available 

As buildings age their condition naturally deteriorates. During that time, we invest in maintenance, repairs, and renewals (i.e. strategic maintenance) until we ultimately replace the building with a new one (i.e. capital investment). Each building on campus serves a unique purpose so the balance between strategic maintenance and capital investment is unique to each building.   

To measure the condition of each building, a Facility Condition Index (FCI) score is used to understand the big picture. The FCI scores reflect the current and projected conditions of buildings on the UBC Vancouver campus.   

For an updated diagram of UBC Vancouver’s current and projected building FCI and age profile, visit the Infrastructure Development website.  


Upcoming Road Closures   

The following road closures are expected around the UBC Vancouver campus as of August 19, 2022. Thank you for your patience and cooperation. Please refer to the attached map for more information. 

Wesbrook Mall Upgrades: Phase 3

The Wesbrook Mall Upgrades is nearing completion, however, Wesbrook Mall will remain closed from Walter Gage Road to Chancellor Boulevard until September 5, 2022.

  • The eastbound lane of Chancellor Boulevard is now closed from NW Marine Drive to Acadia Road until September 5.
  • Landscape work will continue through September, but no road closures are anticipated.
  • All bus routes will return to Wesbrook Mall and Chancellor Boulevard starting September 5.

Please check the Campus & Community Planning project website for the most up to date information about the project and for more details.

UBC Hydrogen Hub

Thunderbird Boulevard will be impacted for the duration of the project.

  • The westbound lane of Thunderbird Boulevard will remain closed during the rest of the project (until November / December 2022) between the Thunderbird Parkade and Health Sciences Mall.
  • The eastbound lane will be closed nightly from 3:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. from Thunderbird Parkade to Wesbrook Mall on Wednesday, August 31 and Thursday, September 1.

Learn more about the UBC Hydrogen Hub

Return to Campus events

Imagine UBC returns to campus on Tuesday, September 6 which will result in multiple road closures. It is advised to avoid driving around the south side of the main campus from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Learn more about Imagine UBC


Closure of East Mall at Hospital Lane from August 24–31

Please note that East Mall between Hospital Lane and Biological Sciences Road will be closed due to District Energy System repair work from Wednesday, August 24 to Wednesday, August 31.

During this time, any access for deliveries or service vehicles will be accommodated via East Mall from the North of campus. Traffic Management personnel will accompany vehicles through the commons as required. 

For more information, please refer to the traffic planning map.


Aquatic Centre On-site Operational Guidelines 

UBC Aquatic Centre is a complex building with a number of interdependent systems. Please note the following reminders when supporting the Aquatic Centre: 

Operating hours 

  • Daily operating/program hours are available on the UBC Recreation website
  • Seasonal/term-based operations hours are also available on the UBC Recreation website  
  • Note: All schedules are subject to change and may not reflect all events or staff opening/closing hours.  

Response during standard weekday business hours (8am– 5pm): 

  • First Access: via main entrance 
  • Trades reporting to site are asked to sign in and out at the Operations Desk
  • Trades are asked to check in with Athletics & Recreation Facility Manager, or Pool Operator to discuss safety, scope work, and any additional instructions or operational considerations. Pool Operators and Athletic & Recreation Facility Manager are available via radio from the Operations Desk.

Response outside of standard weekday business hours and on weekends: 

  • First Access: via main entrance 
  • Trades reporting to site are asked to sign in and out at the Operations Desk
  • Trades are asked to check in with Shift Supervisor to discuss safety, scope work, and any additional instructions or operational considerations. Pool Operators and Shift Supervisor are available via radio from the Operations Desk; 
  • Note: Pool Operator may be on-site, however first point of contact should be the Shift Supervisor. 

The complexity of systems, interactions, and Aquatic Centre support 

Most of the work requested will be straightforward. UBC Aquatic Centre Staff can help manage guest flow to support trades while on site, such as temporarily closing areas for example.

Some work is more complex, including: 

  • Control or pool circulation systems are complex and may contain strong chemicals. Pool Operators can support making systems safe for work for trades, staff and guests. 
  • Some work that may at first seem straightforward may lead to inadvertent upsets; we can guide preparations to maintain system operation. For example, the generator test will upset the Hot Tub filter unless controlled.

Building Safety Capacity: Preventing Spills 

When hazardous materials and wastes are not stored or handled properly, pollutants can leak into the ground and into waterways. Reducing the amount of hazardous materials and wastes kept in storage is the safest way to prevent the dangers of pollution. In addition to Facilities spill response plans, below are some general recommendations for preventing spills from stored hazardous materials and wastes.  

Taking a few simple precautions to prevent a spill will eliminate the headaches that come with cleaning up after one! 

  • Remain in attendance when tanks and open containers are being filled 
  • Use a funnel when transferring liquids from one container to another 
  • Place trays under open containers and the spouts of liquid storage containers 
  • Use secondary containers whenever carrying materials from one location to another.  
  • Keep staff trained and updated on emergency response procedures and conduct periodic review sessions for all work areas 

For more information on how to be prepared to respond to accidental environmental spills and releases visit the Safety and Risk Services website.  


People in motion

  • David Rowswell joins Infrastructure Development’s Facilities Information and Inventory Systems (FIIS) team as the Space Inventory Data Analyst, effective August 29. He'll be taking on tasks related to Archibus space inventory and reporting. 
     
  • Rachael Donovan joins Infrastructure Development's Facilities Planning team in the new role of Reuse Initiative Coordinator today. This is a new, 2-year term position funded through the Climate Action Plan 2030 budget.
     
  • Evelyn Ferrera, Erlinda Batiao, and Grace Dimalibot joined Custodial Services as Service Workers. 

Job openings 

All positions at UBC are available on the UBC HR Careers website, or through the career application in your Workday account. Please note that applications will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on the day prior to the posting end date. The following VPFO positions are currently open:

  • Senior Manager (JR9078) – 8/26/2022
  • Senior Project Manager (JR9076) – 8/26/2022
  • Relief Shift Team Leader (CEC) (JR9276) – 09/05/2022

Don't forget to apply as an internal candidate! Please review the Apply for an Internal Job Posting guide in the Workday Knowledge Base for instructions on how to apply. Reminder to attach a copy of your resume when you apply for a career opportunity in Workday.


In case you've missed it  

Here is a quick recap of key events and information that you may have missed. For more details, please click on the links below or refer to our weekly portfolio newsletter, VPFO Update.


EDI – Orange Shirt Day at UBC: Every Child Matters 

Orange Shirt Day, September 30, is a day to honour and uphold Survivors and intergenerational Survivors of the Indian residential school system, and to commemorate those who didn’t return home.

Find featured events, resources, and more ways you can participate on UBC Indian Residential School History & Dialogue Centre's website.


Workplace Strategies for Mental Health: Navigating disclosure, accommodation and other related conversations

Sometimes a health problem can make it harder to do your job. This could a sprained ankle, a chronic migraine, or a mental illness, including depression or anxiety. In Canada, telling your employer about any kind of health condition that affects your ability to work is called disclosure.

Many employees have questions or fears: What do I say? What if they think I can't do my work? Will people treat me differently? What if I lose my job? 

Whether or not to disclose a mental illness is your choice, but there are important considerations that can assist in your decision-making, as well as skills you can develop to help you communicate in tough conversations, including those around disclosure.  

Developed by the Canadian Mental Health Association, this resource helps you navigate disclosure, accommodation, and other related conversations about their mental health challenges or mental illness with their employer.   

Learn more 


Emergency tip: Emergency preparedness workshops in your local community

Have you ever wondered how to prepare, respond and recover from an earthquake or other disasters? Your local community is likely to have free workshops that deal with this subject. These workshops are also great opportunities to connect with like-minded individuals who are also interested in preparedness. 

Learn more on the City of Vancouver’s website  


Managing your mental health 

Human Resources has collected mental health resources to help you manage your ups and downs. To view workshops, webinars and events, visit the HR event listing.

Our HR representatives are always available for a confidential conversation:

  • Monica Haab (monica.haab@ubc.ca): Building Operations, Energy & Water Services, Customer Services & Informatics, and Municipal Services
  • Gregor MacDonald (gregor.macdonald@ubc.ca): Custodial Services and Infrastructure Development

Thanks for reading!

Find this newsletter and past issues on the Facilities website
facilities.ubc.ca/facilities-weekly

For questions and content submission
 Email: facilities@vpfo.ubc.ca.

 
 

UBC Facilities is part of the VP Finance & Operations (VPFO) Portfolio, and includes six departments—Building Operations, Custodial Services, Customer Services & Informatics, Energy & Water Services, Infrastructure Development, and Municipal Services.
 

UBC Facilities
The University of British Columbia
Campus & Community Planning (C&CP) Building
2210 West Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4
facilities.ubc.ca

VP Finance & Operations (VPFO)
The University of British Columbia
Koerner Library, 6th Floor 
1958 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4
vpfo.ubc.ca

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