UBC capital priorities

UBC maintains a comprehensive plan for the development and renewal of institutional infrastructure to meet evolving academic needs as well as the needs of our growing campus communities.

A complete list of current and planned major capital projects for UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan is on the Projects on Campus page. The proposed project list continues to be refined as our Capital Plan evolves, projects are completed and new projects advanced.

UBC Five-Year Capital Plan 2026-27 to 2030-31

Each year, the Ministry of Infrastructure’s Post-Secondary and Cross-Government Capital Branch (MOI) requests that all public post-secondary institutions, including UBC, submit a Five-Year Capital Plan by June. This plan provides the MOI with a high-level overview of UBC’s capital requirements for potential government funding consideration. The plan includes projects in five categories:

• New Priority (Building) Investments
• Student Housing
• Routine Capital
• Carbon Neutral Capital Program
• Information Management/Information Technology

UBC has developed a jointly funded Capital Plan that addresses key priorities: core academic facility needs, student housing, information technology (IT), and campus operations, sustainability and resilience. This plan aligns with Provincial priorities and capital categories, and is in accordance with the University’s established Capital Planning Principles. The proposed projects were selected by the UBC Executive based on their potential to contribute to the University’s strategic and operational priorities. These projects are prioritized from a longer list of capital projects identified through on-going consultation with Faculties and Departments.

The full list of projects was evaluated and prioritized using an updated assessment model developed with an external consultant commissioned by the VP Finance & Operations (VPFO). The assessment model sets out to consider how each project contributes to the University’s strategic and operation priorities. The prioritization criteria are as follows:

Final selection

Final selection of recommended projects for the Five-Year Capital Plan included consideration of additional factors such as alignment with government priorities, funding potential, inter-campus equity, and the status of project development.

Input on the capital planning process and capital priorities was gathered from a variety of internal groups. The following groups were invited to contribute to the process and project scoring:

• UBC Vancouver Committee of Deans
• Okanagan Leadership Council (AVPs and Deans)
• UBC Vancouver Property & Planning Advisory Committee
• UBC Vancouver Senate Academic Building Needs Committee
• UBC Okanagan Senate Academic Building & Resources Committee
• Vancouver Subcommittee of the Council of Senates Budget Committee
• Alma Mater Society and UBC Students’ Union Okanagan
• Graduate Student Society
• UBC Facilities and UBC Okanagan Campus Operations
• UBCO Strategic Space Planning Committee (information has been shared by the UBCO Associate Vice President Finance & Operations and UBCO Director, Infrastructure Development with the Okanagan Leadership Council and UBCO Finance & Operations Leadership)
• Indigenous Partners – Musqueam (UBC Okanagan has engaged in recent and extensive consultation with
  Okanagan Nation Alliance)

Proposed projects

The proposed UBC Five-Year Capital Plan includes prioritizes academic, student housing, IT and campus operations, sustainability & resilience projects, totalling $2.10 billion. The list includes a funding request of $1.59 billion to the Provincial Government. Associated demolitions and renovations will reduce UBC’s deferred maintenance by $203 million and improve seismic ratings on specific buildings. In addition, the progressive construction standards that UBC embodies will reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as well as energy and water use on UBC campuses.

As careful prioritization of proposed capital projects is critical to ensure that limited capital is directed to help UBC achieve its goals, these projects have been ranked to align with UBC’s strategic and operational objectives. The projects proposed are shown in the following table:

¹  Project scale and costing is under review.

For information on the agenda package and minutes of the Board Committee meeting, visit UBC Board of Governors.