Cross-department collaboration drives successful decarbonization
UBC Facilities has recently completed upgrades to aging infrastructure at the Brimacombe Building and West Mall Swing Space that will significantly reduce the campus’ carbon footprint. These improvements enhance equipment reliability and building controls, providing occupants with more consistent and comfortable heating and cooling.
In 2023, the Energy Conservation & Innovation (ECI) team within Energy & Water Services began initial design work and cost assessments with Building Operations and an external consultant to secure funding through Routine Capital from Capital Planning & Development and the Climate Neutral Campus Program (CNCP). After several months in planning and in partnership with our teams in Building Operations and Project Services, the project was successfully delivered in 2025.
The HVAC systems in Brimacombe’s high head lab and on the fifth floor of West Mall Swing Space had reached the end of their lifecycle and were due for renewal. In addition, a gas-fired boiler in West Mall Swing Space was also reaching its end of service life, presenting the opportunity to connect to our District Energy System (DES).
By aligning these upgrades, the project was proactively scoped and budgeted together, avoiding the need to install another gas-fired boiler that could have remained in service for an additional decade.
The strong collaboration between our Facilities teams allowed all of these upgrades to be aligned and completed together. We were able to proactively plan system upgrades, future-proof equipment, and avoid emergency replacements while advancing UBC’s decarbonization goals.
By leveraging early study and design funding, the team can support flexible implementation timelines and help plan infrastructure upgrades well in advance of required replacements.
These projects not only refreshed aging infrastructure but also reduce UBC’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and support progress toward CAP2030 target of reducing UBC’s GHG by 85% by 2030.
