Did you know that when you come to UBC’s Vancouver campus, you’re leaving the city of Vancouver? Welcome to the University Endowment Lands!
Out here, UBC owns and operates our own utilities, including electrical, heating, water, and waste. We’re responsible for our own roads, lighting, and infrastructure. We even have our own planning department, which regulates land use and development. In fact, every building you go in and every tree you study under is an asset of the university.
Running this small city is no small task. That’s why UBC has entrusted our campus academic spaces to Building Operations, a diverse group of more than 700 people including tradespeople, custodians, municipal workers, service representatives, engineers, architects, and analysts.
We’re responsible for cleaning, operating, maintaining, and repairing more than 900,000 square metres of building space and more than 400 hectares of public realm.
We're here to help
We make an effort get out and meet with people across campus when we plan our work, because we want to be as invisible to you as possible. But sometimes you will notice us, especially in the case of an emergency—such as floods, blackouts, or large leaks.
In an emergency: Call us at 604-822-2173 and we’ll be there immediately.
Even when it’s not an emergency, we want to hear from you. If something is damaged or just not meeting your needs, our new Twitter account @UBCFixMySpace or our updated website are the easiest ways to report issues.
If you see something that needs repair in residence, Student Housing also has an easy online form that gets them working for you.
Whether you’re here for research, going to a concert at the Chan Centre, visiting MOA, or just going to class, you can count on us to deliver reliable spaces enable you to learn and grow.
Read more about our work
If you're interested in more detail about how the campus operates, Building Operations just published Enabling Greatness: Our Story Behind UBC Vancouver’s Buildings and Grounds. You can download a PDF for web or print, or check out a reference copy from the library.
