Vancouver Community College (VCC) is adding The Centre for Clean Energy and Automotive Innovation to their campus in British Columbia. The new facility will minimize environmental impact and enhance well-being while providing students with essential training in sustainable industry education.

Stantec, a global leader in sustainable design, is providing architecture, interior design, acoustics, information management and information technology, and mechanical, electrical, and civil engineering services. The firm is also designing to achieve LEED and Rick Hansen Foundation Gold certifications. Two Row Architect is the Indigenous design collaborator and RJC Engineering is providing structural engineering as well as sustainability and building performance consulting.

Creating an inclusive space 

The eight-story building will feature a cutting-edge electric/hybrid automotive shop to facilitate the servicing and maintenance of electric vehicles and clean energy training. It will also house classrooms, labs, a library and learning centre, an Indigenous gathering space, administrative offices, and various collaborative learning spaces. Special considerations were given to Indigenous consultation and involvement in the design.

“With a focus on technology and renewable resources, the new facility at VCC incorporates unique design features to enhance the learning environment for students and teaching professionals,” said Mark Travis, principal and education sector lead for British Columbia at Stantec. “We look forward to bringing a space to life that supports connection and community experience, and honors the unceded territories of the location’s First Nations.”

Supporting a sustainable and collaborative future 

The facility design is focused on a more sustainable future with flexible classroom layouts, powerful HVAC systems that respond to climate change, and mass timber as the primary structural material in the atrium space. To further support the goal of creating a space centered around green automotive innovation, the building is designed to be low carbon and meet British Columbia’s Step Code 2 and LEED Gold Certification requirements.

Learn more about how Stantec designs for the future generation of learners here.

About Stantec Communities are fundamental. Whether around the corner or across the globe, they provide a foundation, a sense of place and of belonging. That's why at Stantec, we always design with community in mind.

We care about the communities we serve—because they're our communities too. This allows us to assess what's needed and connect our expertise, to appreciate nuances and envision what's never been considered, to bring together diverse perspectives so we can collaborate toward a shared success.

We're designers, engineers, scientists, and project managers, innovating together at the intersection of community, creativity, and client relationships. Balancing these priorities results in projects that advance the quality of life in communities across the globe.

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