UBC Totem Park Commons

UBC engaged our team to design a renovation to the public areas of this modernist student housing block. Work involved refreshing the ground floor lobby, lounges, and adjacent offices. The approach to interiors and exhibitry created a warm, contemporary gathering space for students with new floor, wall, and ceiling finishes and furnishings.

Client: UBC Student Housing and Community Services
Location: Vancouver, BC
Architecture & Interior Design: PUBLIC
Scope: Interpretive planning, integration of exhibits with interior design, exhibit design

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In keeping with UBC's commitment to Reconciliation with First Nations and Métis peoples, information on the history and culture of the Musqueam Nation were included in the design. The residences sit on the unceded traditional territory of the Musqueam. In an example of the "museum coming to the people"—rather than the other way around—stories, drawings, photos and maps welcome students to their new home for learning. These in-depth displays, woven throughout the lobby in wood and glass, help to convey the unique meaning of this land to those who have called it home for thousands of years.

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“The students’ level of respect of engagement with the stories of the land has been incredibly powerful to witness. I can’t emphasize how proud I am to be part of this process.”

—Associate Vice-President, Student Housing & Community Services, UBC