Geography Building 

UBC’s Geography Building lies tucked away in the northwest corner of campus, one of the first buildings constructed here in 1925. Originally the Applied Sciences building, housing the multifaceted disciplines of Geology, Civil Engineering, Zoology, Forestry, and Botany, the building soon moved to support Canada’s first geographic academic division, evolving from the Department of Geology and Mineralogy in 1915. 

The building’s architecture reflects early campus construction trends of semi-permanent structures built quickly and inexpensively, on the unceded, ancestral lands of the Musqueam people, at a time when Indigenous presence and knowledge were largely excluded from university planning and academic life.  

Today, the building’s age is evident in its limited sustainability features compared to newer campus developments, yet Geography has become a central force in advancing environmental thinking at UBC. From the Geogarden just outside, to growing programs such as Urban Studies and connections with SCARP, the department plays a major role in shaping sustainable local planning. 

Student-led initiatives, like the GSA Sustainability Committee and its ongoing blog series, continue this legacy by promoting sustainability within the broader UBC community. These intertwined histories of growth, omission, and environmental commitment highlight how campus spaces carry legacies that influence our present. 

They remind us that learning on Musqueam land requires ongoing reflection, that sustainability must be rooted in place-based understanding, and that acknowledging the past is essential to building more respectful and responsible relationships with the land today.