Bird Construction has been selected as construction manager for the Vancouver Community College Centre for Clean Energy and Automotive Innovation and the University of Victoria Engineering Expansion Project. The combined value of the two contracts is approximately $280 million.
The VCC Centre is an eight-storey, 343,832 sq. ft., LEED Gold and energy-efficient facility with elements of exposed mass timber. Supporting the growing green economy, it will provide education and skills training for people in British Columbia and Red-Seal-certified apprentices of modern automotive trades, including electric, hydrogen fuel cell, plug-in and autonomous vehicles. The facility will accommodate as many as 1,400 students annually, with exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary learning and collaboration with new civic amenities, academic and collaborative design spaces, and purpose-built Indigenous gathering spaces.
The UVIC Engineering Expansion Project consists of two new state-of-the-art academic buildings: the Engineering Computer Science Building Expansion, a six-storey, 68,180 sq. ft. building, and the High Bay Research and Structures Laboratory Building, a two-storey, 20,900 sq. ft. building.
The complete UVIC Engineering Expansion project will have a net zero carbon ready design and will target LEED Gold. To support reduced greenhouse gas emissions and a smaller carbon footprint, both facilities will extensively leverage mass timber structural elements, including columns, beams, and lateral bracing, and the interior spaces will be designed with the intentional selection of low-emitting materials and recycled contents.
“We are excited to be part of these transformative projects that align well with Bird’s purpose of bringing life to vision and creating greatness together. With a focus on LEED Gold and net zero carbon ready designs, these projects exemplify our innovative solutions that drive a lower carbon future,” said Teri McKibbon, Bird president and CEO. “Our team in B.C. has a long history of strong execution on institutional projects and a solid track record in construction management project delivery. We are proud to be a part of shaping the future of education and research in British Columbia and beyond.”
