The Facilities Planning unit provides comprehensive planning services that support and accommodate academic and research growth and change at UBC while ensuring the best and highest use of campus space. Facilities Planners work to translate the physical space needs and functional requirements of the people in that space into reality, one which achieves an efficient and harmonious utilization of people, equipment, space, and energy.
Facilities Planning coordinates all Master Plans and Functional Programs for new major capital projects and renovations. Master planning and functional programming are important initial activities that translate the facility requirements and overall goals of our customers into workable design solutions for major projects and renovations. The analysis presented in both types of documents communicates the need for facility expansion and/or improvement which assists the capital planning process in gaining support for financing and funding.
Facilities Planners, along with Facilities Managers, are the first point of contact, on any projects that involve space use on campus. This includes all academic and administration spaces (i.e. research and teaching spaces, offices, libraries, study and informal learning spaces, recreation spaces, meeting and event spaces).
In addition, the Facilities Planners ensure that space is allocated fairly across campus and across disciplines, that it meets user needs and is designed, built and occupied efficiently and effectively to serve UBC’s academic mission.
Learning Spaces
The Learning Spaces team within Facilities Planning is responsible for day-to-day stewardship of approximately 350 General Teaching Spaces (GTS). They provide planning and oversight for an annual maintenance and upgrade program, which includes AV system upgrades and furniture renewal. This team represents GTS classrooms in new capital projects, from functional programming through design and construction, ensuring that GTS are aligned with the UBC Learning Space Design Guidelines.