Request for renovation or maintenance
Please contact your Facilities Manager before engaging an external contractor, architect, or engineer for facilities-related work. External contractors and consultants are awarded through a transparent and non-discriminatory practice, in compliance with Canada’s competitive tendering laws and trade agreements. For more information on suppliers, visit Doing Business with UBC on the UBC Finance website.
To request for renovation or maintenance, please submit an online service request. Learn more about submitting a Service Request.
If you’ve placed a maintenance call and no one attends within 2-5 days or you are dissatisfied with the work, please contact your Facilities Manager.
If your call is a safety or security concern and it is not attended to within the same day, please contact your Facilities Manager for follow-up.
Construction Office
Renovation work valued at less than $50,000 is completed by UBC Trades through the Construction Office within Asset Replacement & Improvement. This is mandated within the University’s collective agreement with CUPE 116. Our trades have extensive knowledge of campus buildings and will ensure that university processes are followed. The internal hourly rate is comparable to that of external trade rates.
Project Services
Larger renovation projects with a total value greater than $50,000 may be contracted to external contractors through our project management office, Project Services. Project Services is a dedicated group of experienced professionals who provide project management services for renovations, renewals and modernization of buildings and infrastructure. This includes a variety of capital projects, which involve physical changes to the environment — whether above or below ground, inside or outside buildings, and accessibility and public realm. Learn more.
Request for space change
Every faculty/department is allotted a certain amount of space based on their academic or departmental requirements. When a space change is made within a building, Facilities Planning must approve the project to ensure that accurate records are kept and that each faculty/department has the correct amount of space assigned to them. Facilities Planners in Facilities Planning work together with faculties and departments who are looking for temporary swing space during a renovation project, and/or interim space until their required space can be allocated or developed.
What is swing space?
Swing space is work space allocated to a faculty/department during construction — renovation or maintenance project. If your space is currently under renovation and temporary swing space is needed, a Facilities Planner associated with your project will help identify and obtain swing space for you.
What is interim space?
Interim space is space that is allocated to a group from available swing space inventory, on a temporary basis, until longer-term space becomes available. This space is often used while faculty/department is awaiting the design/construction of a new building.
How do I request swing space / interim space?
Swing space
The Facilities Planner assigned to your project will work with you to assess your space needs, and work with the Swing Space Coordinator to identify the most appropriate space. Once a space has been identified, the Facilities Planner will tour this space with you.
Once the space has been confirmed, your Facilities Planner will help you determine how the space and rooms can be best utilized and allocated. This may include providing diagrams of how your team, furniture, and equipment could fit in the space (if necessary).
Interim space
Allocation of interim space may involve a comprehensive review of whether or not your currently assigned space could be intensified to accommodate your needs. If it is determined that additional space will be allocated, arrangements will be made for you to view the proposed interim space.
What should I expect in swing / interim space?
The majority of space assigned for temporary swing and interim uses is located in buildings that are close to the end of their lifespan. Typically, the space is allocated for short-term occupancy, and it should be expected that the quality of the space will not be equivalent to space which has been more recently constructed or renovated. Due to the age of the buildings, it may not always be possible to increase the quantity of data and electrical services within the space.
Customer funded cosmetic improvements may be undertaken, however, the benefits of more intensive renovations should be carefully considered given the temporary nature of the occupancy. As in regular departmental space, occupants will need to provide any desired furniture and equipment including phones, computers, copiers etc.
Below are building locations for swing/interim space:
Can I make changes to swing / interim space?
If you choose to make changes to the swing/interim space, customer funded cosmetic improvements may be undertaken. However, should you consider a more intensive renovation to the space, the benefits should be carefully considered given the temporary nature of the occupancy.
Swing space
The Project Manager in Project Services, or Project Coordinator in the Construction Office are responsible for managing the project schedule and budget. They will work with you to customize the swing space for your use during construction. This will include investigation of your renovation needs, the associated cost, and the timeline for the changes.
Interim space
You may wish to undertake changes in the space in order to prepare it for your occupancy (i.e. installing additional data or electrical services, painting etc.).
Similar to requesting changes to your primary departmental space, please submit a Service Request to obtain an estimate for the work. The Facilities Manager for your building can assist you to submit the request.
Who organizes the move to/from swing/interim space?
Swing space
The Project Coordinator or a Move Coordinator, if one has been hired, will work with you through the move process. This includes arranging for boxes for personal belongings and moving furniture and departmental equipment.
The Building/Departmental Administrator or Move Coordinator is responsible for labeling furniture and departmental equipment to show which room each item is moving to. Individuals are responsible for labeling their boxes of personal items.
For more information on the move-in process, please view the Swing Space Move-in Process flow chart at the bottom of the page.
Interim space
Moves-in and -out of interim space are typically managed by departmental administrators. For large moves, this process may be converted to a project and the move process for swing space would apply.
The Building/Departmental Administrator is responsible for organizing the move, obtaining boxes, tape, and labels etc., and submitting the relevant Service Requests.
Move-in: What do I need to move?
Swing space
The Facilities Planner, or the Move Coordinator (where one has been hired), can help you determine what you might need and what would fit in your new space. Typically, you will bring whatever furniture you already have, including your task chairs. If you need additional furniture, it can often be obtained through the used furniture inventory. There may also be furniture available for your use, already in the allocated space. To request additional furniture, please submit a detailed list of the desired items you need for your space to: furniture.reuse@ubc.ca.
Interim space
Furniture can often be obtained through the used furniture inventory. There may also be furniture available for your use, already in the allocated space. To request additional furniture, please submit a detailed list of the desired items you need for your space to: furniture.reuse@ubc.ca.
Move-in: How do I request keys and signage?
Keys
The faculty/department is responsible for ordering keys and arranging card access (if applicable) for your team, prior to and throughout the duration of your occupancy.
Once your allocated swing space is confirmed, the Swing Space Coordinator will send your faculty/department a notification that your space is confirmed. This notification will also alert Access Services that your faculty/department now have the formal authority required to order keys and make building access arrangements.
Facilities Planning does not have the authority to process faculty/departments key order for their new space. Please contact Access Services for all issues with ordering or collecting keys, including special keying and/or changes to existing locks.
Signage
The faculty/department is responsible for ordering any signage required for the duration of your occupancy. This includes directional and room signage.
All signage must comply with the UBC Signage, Interior Signage Guidelines (latest version). Informal signage (i.e. internally generated by your department) and printed notices taped to walls etc. are not permitted.
Move-out: What do I need to move?
All furniture and equipment, and personal belongings brought into the swing/interim space for the duration of your occupancy must be removed as part of the move-out process. This includes signage, posted notices on noticeboards, items in display cabinets and the like.
Exceptions in regards to leaving furniture in the swing space may be made at the discretion of Facilities Planning, and are based on the likelihood of reallocating the items to the next occupant.
Any items remaining in the space after the move-out date are considered abandoned, and will be made available to other departments or disposed of at the discretion of Facilities Planning. The cost of removal and/or disposal is either covered through the project (where applicable) or will be at the expense of your faculty/department.
Move-out: Special requirements for labs and lab support spaces
In addition to the instructions under “Move-out: What do I need to move?” there are special requirements for moving out of lab and lab support spaces.
The requirements for exiting and decommissioning these spaces are determined, and the process overseen, by Safety & Risk Services.
The decommissioning process must be completed by the end date of your occupancy. This date is shown in the space allocation notification that was sent to the department administrator at the time the swing/interim space was allocated.
The lab exit protocol instructions and checklist can be downloaded from the Safety & Risk Services website.
Move-out: What happens after move-out?
Once the move-out has occurred, the swing/interim space will be reviewed and assessed in terms of readiness for the next occupant. The space must be left ‘move-in ready’, whether or not the next occupant has been identified at the time of the move-out.
Remedial work may be required and could include, but is not limited to, removal of signage, specialized cleaning, repair of any damage, removal of customized infrastructure or equipment, repainting, returning locks to building standard etc.
Where the incoming occupant has been identified, the scope of the remedial work will be considered in conjunction with the customization required for the next occupant. The cost of the remedial work is either covered through the project or will be at the expense of the department.
All keys should be returned to Access Services. Any items remaining in the space after the move-out date are considered abandoned, and will be made available to other departments or disposed of at the discretion of Facilities Planning.
Swing space move-in process
For more information, please refer to the section ‘Who organizes the move to/from Swing/Interim space?’