The School of Biomedical Engineering at the University of British Columbia (UBC) is getting a new home with a purpose-designed, state-of-the-art facility.
The project cost is $139.4 million, with $25 million from the province and $114.4 million from UBC. Construction is expected to start in summer 2022 with the building opening for students in early 2025.
Designed by Patkau Architects + Architecture49, the five-storey building will feature classrooms and learning spaces on the lower floors, with research labs and spaces on the upper floors. The building will consolidate classroom and lab spaces currently hosted in 24 buildings on the Vancouver campus.
“This project is a major step forward for solidifying UBC and British Columbia’s position as a world-leading biomedical research and innovation hub. The new building will enable scientific discovery, the development of new technologies and will support the education of the next generation of talented scientists, innovators and entrepreneurs,” said Santa Ono, UBC president. “Bringing together researchers, students and staff from UBC’s faculties of medicine and applied science, this nexus of research, entrepreneurship and talent development will enable therapies that improve human health and innovation that help drive economic growth.”
Biomedical engineering combines engineering principles with medical sciences to design, create and evaluate equipment, computer systems, and software used in health care. The work includes designing and building artificial internal organs and body parts such as hip joints; designing computer software to operate complex medical equipment such as 3-D X-ray machines; and developing new drug therapies to solve human sickness and diseases.
