The Nechako Housing Commons at the UBC Okanagan campus in Kelowna, BC, serves as a dynamic hub for student life. This six-story, 137,000 square foot facility houses 220 residential rooms and a range of social spaces, including a 500-seat dining hall, study areas, meeting rooms, and fitness zones.
A key highlight of the Nechako Housing Commons is its sustainable design. The building is connected to the campus’s Low Temperature District Energy System (LDES), which provides heating and cooling via a high-efficiency water-source heat pump plant. To meet the project’s energy performance targets, these heat pumps were designed to recover heat, provide simultaneous heating and cooling, and pre-heat domestic hot water.
The building’s location on a graded site between existing structures and student amenities maximizes accessibility and integration with the broader campus. It is also part of the FortisBC Commercial New Construction Performance Program.
The Nechako Housing Commons LEED v4 Gold Certified, demonstrating its commitment to sustainability. Furthermore, it aligns with the equivalent of Step 3 of the BC Energy Step Code, further emphasizing its energy efficiency.