The ThunderBlogs

UBC is no stranger to criticism over lack of consultation with students when it comes to campus development. But the design of the new Student Union Building is taking a revolutionary approach of engaging students’ input from the beginning. At least that’s the stated aim.

Last Tuesday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., the AMS hosted the first of two charrettes with HBBH + BH, the design team behind the New SUB Project. The brainstorming session was open to student participation, despite the noticeable lack of students.

The main level of the SUB buzzed with young to middle-aged men wearing button-up shirts with dark denim jeans or pinstripe pants. Plaid and square-rimmed glasses were recurring themes. The few women present wore sophisticated business wear, while an older gentlemen sported a suit jacket and red bow-tie. Occasionally, students walking by stopped to look at the unusual scene unfolding in their space. Large posters scribbled with ideas and designs covered the windows and walls. Miniature models of the new SUB stood in different corners of the room. Tables and chairs were pushed together into little islands where groups huddled. An organic collaborative process was obviously taking place, but less obvious was whether students were involved, or even invited.

In the back of the room sat Phil Riley, a UBC Masters student in Architecture and graduate from UBC’s Environmental Design program. Wanting to participate, but unable to make the mandatory full-day commitment because he had class, he asked, “Why didn’t they do it on an evening or a Saturday?” He probably would have had some insightful contributions too, considering his ENDS program involved a semester long project on designing a new SUB.

His buddy Ian Lowrie, a fellow ENDS graduate who participated in the charrette, counted only two undergrads, two architecture students and six ENDS graduates. One of the other ENDS graduates, Jon-Scott Kohli, said, “From my understanding the consultation process that led up to this was very strong, and while in some ways this has been an unparalleled process, and they’ve done so many things right, I also feel like they kind of hit it half way.”

The charrette ended with participants sticking red or blue dots on favourite designs and objectives. “Building as Landscape,” won most blue dots. Closing remarks by AMS VP Ekaterina Dovjenko summed up three main design goals. “Iconic,” was first before, “importance of communities,” and, “making this a fun process.” Kohli expressed concern saying, “A lot of buildings are iconic, that doesn’t make them good buildings. If you focus on making it a good building, then it being iconic will follow.”

As the room cleared the ENDS graduates huddled together feeling left in the dark about how much opportunity for student engagement was still to come.