Institutional Building Requirements

UBC Okanagan requires all major new construction projects to achieve LEED® Gold certification. To support this, UBC has developed LEED Implementation Guides for both LEED v4.0 and LEED v4.1 to streamline certification and align with university-wide sustainability goals.

Published in 2022, the UBC LEED v4.1 Implementation Guide reflects the US Green Building Council’s beta release of LEED v4.1, allowing for real-world application and feedback. The guide is designed to support efficient project delivery while meeting UBC’s policy requirements and aspirational sustainability objectives.

Each guide outlines:

• Compliance pathways tailored to UBC
• Mandatory credits required for all UBC projects
• Priority credits and points that are strongly encouraged to pursue
• Recommended resources to support certification

The LEED Implementation Guides act as companion documents to the Campus Plan, Design Guidelines, Green Building Action Plan and UBC Technical Guidelines.

UBC v4.1 Implementation Guide

UBC LEED 4.1 UBC Okanagan Scorecard

UBC LEED VARIANCE TEMPLATE

Since 2008, the BC government has required that all public-sector buildings, newly constructed or undergoing major renovation, achieve LEED® Gold or equivalent certification. UBC requires all Tier 1 and Tier 3a projects to be LEED® Gold certified using the most suitable LEED rating system.

Alternative certifications may be considered where appropriate (for example, certification through the Zero Carbon Building Standard, Passive House or Living Building Challenge). In all cases, alternative certifications should be pre-approved.

UBC has established energy and carbon performance targets for new institutional buildings and major renovations to support its Climate Action Plan 2030 goals.

These targets vary by building type—such as student residences, classrooms, and laboratories—and include metrics like Greenhouse Gas Intensity (GHGI), Energy Use Intensity (EUI), and Thermal Energy Demand Intensity (TEDI). These standards are integrated into project design briefs to ensure alignment with UBC’s sustainability objectives.

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As part of its Climate Action Plan 2030, UBC has established progressive targets to reduce embodied carbon emissions in institutional building projects. The current requirement mandates a 10 per cent reduction in embodied carbon compared to a defined baseline, with the goal of achieving a 50 per cent reduction by 2030.

These requirements apply to Tier 1 and Tier 3A projects on both the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses.

UBC Embodied Carbon Pilot

The UBC Embodied Carbon Pilot was a multi-year research initiative aimed at improving the practice of whole-building life cycle assessments (LCA) to quantify and reduce embodied carbon emissions in building materials.

Conducted across various UBC buildings—including the UBCO Skeena Residence—the project identified key challenges and developed standardized methodologies, such as a Bill of Materials (BoM) protocol, to enhance the accuracy and comparability of LCAs.

The findings inform UBC’s Climate Action Plan 2030 and contribute to broader policy development for low-carbon construction practices.

See the embodied carbon pilot

UBC Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment Guidelines

To support the Climate Action Plan 2030 targets, UBC has developed Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment (WBLCA) Guidelines, which provide standardized methodologies for assessing and reducing embodied carbon in building materials and construction practices.

Design teams should follow the WBLCA Guidelines to guide their methodology and approach when conducting a WBLCA for UBCO buildings. This ensures more accurate calculations of embodied carbon reductions and helps minimize other environmental impacts.

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Tiers of performance targets for new buildings and renovations

Table 1 from Section 4.3.1 of the UBC Okanagan Design Guidelines provides performance targets and expectations for the renovation and retrofits of existing buildings as well as new builds (excerpt below)

Explore the Green Building Design Guidelines

The UBC Integrated Sustainability Process was introduced in 2013 and updated in 2022 to ensure key design disciplines are brought together early in the design process to achieve a high level of sustainability performance in a streamlined manner.

EXPLORE THE PROCESS SUMMARY AND GUIDE

Recycling Infrastructure

Buildings must include indoor recycling stations and appropriate facilities for waste and recycling storage and loading. Design teams should consult the UBC Vancouver Recycling Infrastructure Guidelines for UBC Buildings and coordinate with UBC Okanagan staff for specific adjustments.

Waste Tracking

All projects are required to monitor waste amounts and diversion rates using the UBC Okanagan Construction & Renovation Waste and Diversion Tracking Sheet. This documentation must be submitted to the UBC Okanagan Sustainability Office, Campus Planning, in accordance with the Technical Guidelines.

By adhering to these guidelines, UBC Okanagan aims to optimize material use, minimize waste generation, and enhance waste diversion across all construction, demolition, and renovation projects.

• Sustainability requirements and reporting template
• Electronic template with automatic waste calculations
• Unit converter

Each year, an estimated 16 to 42 million birds are killed in Canada due to window collisions (Government of Canada, 2023).

At UBC Vancouver, window strikes result in more than 10,000 bird fatalities annually. In response to growing concerns, UBC Okanagan launched its first monitoring pilot in Fall 2023, with a follow-up conducted in 2024.

A third pilot is planned for Spring 2025 to continue gathering data and insights on bird collisions across campus.

The purpose of the UBCO Bird Strike Monitoring Pilot Program is to gather and organize bird collision data on campus during migratory periods.

The insights gained from this program will help us tailor our approach to UBC’s Bird Friendly Design Guidelines for Buildings.

Volunteer Responsibilities

Volunteers play a key role in monitoring bird strikes on campus by:

• Surveying select campus buildings for evidence of bird collisions during early mornings in migratory seasons (approx. 20 minutes/day)
• Reporting observations (approx. 10 minutes/day)
• Promoting awareness of bird strikes within their departments and among building occupants with exterior-facing windows

APPLY HERE TO BECOME A VOLUNTEER

Responding to the Fall 2023 Bird Strike Monitoring pilot, UBC Okanagan initiated a project to install bird-friendly film on the University House. The film was installed in late June and will be monitored for effectiveness.

We also encourage building occupants to take simple, proactive steps to help reduce bird-window collisions. Being mindful of bird attractants—such as indoor plants placed near windows or lights left on after hours—can make a difference. Moving plants away from windows and turning off lights or drawing blinds in the evenings can help prevent birds from being drawn toward glass. Increasing the visibility of windows by keeping blinds or curtains closed when possible is another effective way to minimize the risk of collisions.

Signs of a Bird Strike

There are several signs that may indicate a bird-window collision has occurred.

• Look closely at windows for visual impact marks—birds’ feathers have a natural powdery coating that can leave a ghost-like imprint on the glass upon impact
• You might also notice feathers stuck to the window or scattered on the ground, especially if the collision was recent or severe
• In some cases, only feathers remain, as predators may remove the bird before it is discovered
• Additionally, finding a stunned bird near a window is a strong indicator of a recent collision.
  • If you find a stunned bird, do not touch or interfere. Leave the stunned bird to recover on their own.
  • If a dead bird is found, do not touch it. Contact UBCO Facilities Management to collect and safely dispose of the carcass.

Even if you’re not a volunteer, we encourage you to report any evidence of bird collisions—such as feathers, window imprints, or a bird strike—to help us monitor and address problem areas on campus.

Report Collisions

UBC’s Okanagan campus consists of coniferous woodland, cultivated fields, urban/rural areas and wetlands, providing many suitable habitats for birds. The 2014 Ecological Analysis reported over 60 species of birds on campus, with 14 considered to be at risk. The 2023 Ecological Analysis reported an increase to 226 species observed or known to be on campus, with 45 considered to be at risk. Species at risk are a conservation concern because they are in danger of extinction.

Additionally, birds provide important ecological services such as pest control, pollination and seed dispersal. They also serve as a people-wildlife connection in urban areas, supporting our overall wellbeing.

Why Birds Collide with Windows

Several factors contribute to the risk of bird-window collisions:

• Reflections in glass—such as mirror-like images of surrounding vegetation or open skies—can confuse birds, making windows appear as safe passage.
• Buildings located along migratory routes face a higher risk, especially during peak migration seasons in the spring and fall.
• Nighttime lighting can also pose a hazard, as many birds migrate at night and are drawn toward illuminated structures.
• Bird feeders or indoor plants placed near windows can act as attractants, increasing the likelihood of collisions in those areas.

Resources

• UBCO Bird Friendly Monitoring Program: Volunteer (poster.pdf)
• Bird Friendly Design Guidelines, referenced in the UBC Okanagan Design Guidelines – Green Building
• UBC Vancouver Bird Friendly Design (2023)
• UBC Technical Guidelines (Section 08 80 00: Glazing)
• Birds Canada