UViC Expands Engineering Department with Tech-Forward Building Design

Designed to accommodate an additional 500 students per year, the Engineering and Computer Science Expansion project at the University of Victoria will provide research laboratories, classrooms, and office spaces to meet the growing demands of institution’s Engineering Departments.

UViC is expanding the department with an eye toward modern technologies and Net Zero targets.

The venerable B.C. institution tapped Dialog and Bird Construction to build the 6,400-square-metre Engineering and Computer Science Expansion as well as the 2,200-square-metre High Bay Research and Structures Lab out of regionally sourced mass timber from Douglas fir trees.

Throughout the buildings, sensors are discreetly installed to measure ongoing data, including moisture, temperature, vibration, as well as stresses on beams, columns, and slabs.

Esteban Matheus, an architect with Dialog, notes how “data from monitoring the building’s conditions are used in the creation of a ‘material passport’ with technical specifications for each material, including wood source, adhesives, finishes, and grading characteristics.”

At the end of the building’s life, this data, “along with a deconstruction plan and reuse commitment letter from the University, ensures the successful reuse of these materials in future structures.”

The buildings also incorporate Passive House design strategies, such as high-performance building envelopes, extra insulation, thermal glazing, exterior solar shading, and optimized window-to-wall ratios.

In addition, the complex features energy-efficient electric heat pump HVAC systems, photovoltaics on the walls, and green roofs to increase biodiversity, according to a statement—all of which may be used for research by the University.

Lighter mass timber components also result in lower seismic demand, reducing the overall quantity of structural steel, foundation materials and soil anchors—further reducing carbon footprint.

The project “pushes the international boundaries of mass timber construction,” according to Matheus.

Set for completion in September 2026, the project is rated LEED Gold V4 and meets the Canadian Green Building Council Zero Carbon Building Standard as well as the International Living Future Institute’s Zero Carbon Certification for the High Bay building.