New Student Housing and Dining

East-facing rendering of the new Student Housing and Dining buildings
A drone photo of the project site from January 2022
Construction of the mass timber in the new dining hall in Building 1
Mass timber structures and wood finishes in Building 1
The Student Housing and Dining Project will provide a new dining facility and 621 additional beds for students who are currently living off-campus. The project is the first significant capital project since the Campus Plan was renewed in 2016. This important project will build on the ideas generated through the Campus Plan and will help achieve our vision as not only an extraordinary academic environment, but also a vibrant and sustainable community that nurtures student experience and well-being.
The buildings will offer traditional dorm rooms, and new "community-living" style rooms which include single rooms with a shared kitchen and living area. To learn more about the university's on-campus residence options, visit the Residence Services site.
The buildings will be located outside of Ring Road, south of the Student Union Building. They are replacing the Cadboro Commons Building as well as two older residence buildings, Margaret Newton and Emily Carr residences. By developing on previously disturbed sites, the university is able to continue to protect the ecosystem and integrity of natural areas identified in the Campus Plan.
Sustainability
The project demonstrates UVic’s commitment to sustainability. Design and construction of the new buildings will meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) V4 Gold and Passive House standards, the most rigorous global building standards for sustainability and energy efficiency.
LEED V4 is an internationally recognized, third party rating system based on energy and environmental principles, which balance knowledge from established practices and emerging concepts. Passive House design principles aim to reduce energy consumption, GHG emissions, maintenance costs, and replacement costs by investing in a higher performing building envelope.
UVic's Sustainability Action Plan: Campus Operations 2020-2021 highlights specific energy-related goals that will ultimately help foster a culture of energy conservation on campus using innovative technologies:
- Achieve a total institutional GHG emissions reduction of 30%, relative to 2010 as the baseline year.
- Reduce campus electrical intensity by 18%, relative to 2010 as the baseline year.
- Reduce campus natural gas consumption by 30%, relative to 2010 as the baseline year.
In addition, UVic has started two planning projects to identify longterm emission reduction strategies and help to achieve the university's Strategic Framework priority to "Promote Sustainable Futures". The Student Housing and Dining Project will contribute to UVic's longterm emission reduction through many decarbonization strategies, including:
Project updates
Work at the main project site began in January 2020. Excavation of both buildings is underway and construction of the Building 1 envelop will begin in spring 2021. Construction of both buildings will continue until early 2023, with move-in for student residences occurring in September 2022 for Building 1 and September 2023 for Building 2. UVic is committed to the safety of faculty, staff, students and visitors. Please use caution and obey signs in construction areas.
What will the new buildings look like?

Rendering of Building 1, featuring the servery and dining hall on levels 1 and 2 and new Campus Greenway plaza.
Modular Dining Facility (MOD)
The Modular Dining Facility is located in parking lot B - inside Ring Road, adjacent to the Bob Wright Centre and McPherson Library/Mearns Centre.
The 500-seat facility will be operational from September 2020 to July 2022, when the permanent dining facility in the new student housing building opens.
The Facility will provide a full and diverse range of food service options at the same or higher quality than the options currently available in the Cadboro Commons dining hall. To learn more about the university's food services options, visit the University Food Services site.

For further information contact Mike Wilson, Director – Campus Planning and Sustainability at 250-472-5433 or planning@uvic.ca
To learn more about our existing residence community click here.
To learn more about our Campus Plan, click here.
To learn more about our Sustainability Action Plan, click here.
Community engagement is an essential part of planning for the student housing and dining project. The campus and neighbourhood association engagement process followed the university’s Community Engagement Framework.
During the planning phase, we engaged with over 1,200 campus and community members.
- Community Engagement Executive Summary
- November 2018 Community Engagement Summary
- July 2018 Community Engagement Summary
- March 2018 Community Engagement Summary
- December 2017 Community Engagement Summary
In addition, the project team regularly engaged with the neighbouring community through presentations at the Community Association Liaison Committee.