tə šxʷhəleləm̓s tə k̓ʷaƛ̓kʷəʔaʔɬ Houses of the One Belonging to the Salt Water transforms student life at UBC Vancouver with five mid-rise buildings providing homes for nearly 1000 students. The complex creates a vibrant academic and social hub while offering a gateway between campus life and the broader community.
Five distinct buildings wrap around the existing Gage Residences precinct, creating animated street frontages alongside intimate landscape courtyards and a vibrant urban plaza. Mixed-use spaces with high street visibility reinforce the project’s role as a conduit and welcome students into housing that feels integrated rather than isolated from the broader university experience.
Through collaboration with Campus Planning, Student Housing, UBC Properties Trust, and neighbourhood stakeholders, we developed massing strategies that respect adjacent conditions while optimizing solar access to new courtyard spaces. The result is architecture that responds to its context while fostering the social infrastructure students rely on – spaces to gather, connect, stay active, and express themselves, alongside essential student services and administration. We also designed the Gage Courtyard Canopies in collaboration with Musqueam artist Kelly Cannell – find more here.
In collaboration with Ryder Architecture.
