The UBC Gateway School of Nursing is a landmark interdisciplinary academic and healthcare facility designed to advance education, research, and community health engagement at the University of British Columbia. The approximately 267,000 square foot, $250 million project co-locates the School of Nursing, School of Kinesiology, Integrated Student Health Services, and UBC Health within a single integrated building to foster collaboration, innovation, and inter-professional education.

The facility supports teaching, learning, health promotion, and research mandates, providing classrooms, research laboratories, academic offices, high-fidelity simulation labs, and four large lecture theatres to address growing academic demand. A Team-Based Primary Care Inter-Professional Teaching Clinic is included to support collaborative clinical education and prepare students for team-based patient care in real-world healthcare settings.

Designed as a resilient and future-ready facility, the Gateway Building targets LEED Gold certification, Net Zero certification, and Step Code 4 energy performance, with climate resiliency integrated into the design. The building connects to UBC’s District Energy System and utilizes air-source heat pump technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reliance on fossil fuels. Wellness-focused design principles are incorporated to support occupant health and well-being.

Understanding the Vision
Facility is a transformative health sciences hub. The design balances academic flexibility with healthcare-grade performance, supporting collaboration, emergency resilience, and superior indoor environmental quality while targeting LEED Gold, Net Zero Certification, and Step Code 4.

Integrated Mechanical Design Strategy
A centralized air-source heat pump plant provides primary heating and cooling, with UBC District Energy supporting peak loads and domestic hot water. Modular 4-pipe heat pumps with heat recovery, variable-speed pumping, and full electrification optimize efficiency and reduce emissions, with DES redundancy enhancing resilience.

Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality
High-efficiency heat recovery ventilators, MERV 13 filtration, and demand-controlled ventilation ensure high IAQ.

Sustainability
Strategies include heat recovery, variable flow systems, a high-performance envelope, low-flow plumbing, and drought-resistant landscaping, targeting a 32% improvement over ASHRAE 90.1 baseline.

Clinical and Simulation Spaces
Labs and clinic areas require precise environmental control, hospital-grade ventilation, emergency power, and flexible zoning to support emergency healthcare operations.

Delivery and Impact
BIM coordination, commissioning, and QA ensure performance and constructability, delivering a resilient, future-ready facility aligned with UBC climate goals

UBC Gateway School of Nursing achieves performance with 32% energy reduction vs ASHRAE 90.1, electrification, heat pumps, and heat recovery district energy. Improves indoor air quality, water efficiency, and operational resilience, with systems adaptable for emergency hospital use. Facility supports interdisciplinary teaching, simulation labs, and added capacity, setting a benchmark for sustainable healthcare education buildings