One of Canada’s largest residential buildings targeting Passive House certification has opened at the UBC campus.

Construction of the six-storey, 103,000-square foot building began in 2020. Residents began moving in to studio, one, two, three and four-bedroom units in mid-August.

The new 110-unit faculty and staff rental building in UBC’s Wesbrook Place neighbourhood will consume up to 90 per cent less heating and cooling energy than conventional buildings.

The first of its kind on UBC’s Vancouver campus, Evolve aims to be one of the most energy-efficient multi-family residential buildings in Canada. It will also provide an opportunity to study the benefits and trade-offs of Passive House construction, and share the learnings for the public good.

“Evolve demonstrates UBC’s commitment to the vision of a net positive campus and provides affordable housing that has a reduced carbon footprint and promotes health and wellbeing for the occupants,” says Penny Martyn, green building manager at UBC Sustainability. “Research conducted on the building will be shared among the property development community to make future buildings more energy efficient.”

Evolve was designed by ZGF Architecture and built by Peak Construction Group for UBC Properties Trust.

Evolve’s Passive House design elements include:

• High performance windows – triple glazed “tilt and turn” windows that significantly increase natural ventilation rates over typical residential buildings in B.C.
• High-efficiency mechanical system – heat recovery ventilation system continuously providing filtered air to create a healthy living environment
• Thermal insulation – a thicker insulation and assembly was required to create a thermal barrier
• Building envelope continuity – elimination of cold patches or drafts. The design and construction both account for less air leakage through the structure and the building envelope
• Mixed-mode cooling – ventilation air provided throughout the building is cooled via an energy-efficient heat pump, but sensors on operable windows and patio doors ensure maximum cool air is only supplied to residential suites when their windows are closed– the ventilation will reduce to a minimum but will not fully turn off.
• Exterior shading – movable shades to limit heat and exposure of the sun.