UBC Bookstore, Renovated and Expanded Vancouver Building, Canada Development, Canadian Architecture

UBC Bookstore

University of British Columbia Retail Project in BC, Canada – design by office of mcfarlane biggar

5 Nov 2015

University of British Columbia Bookstore in Vancouver

Design: office of mcfarlane biggar (omb) architects + designers

Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

The newly renovated and expanded bookstore on the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) main campus is proof that simple design interventions can have grand effects.

image : Ema Peter

What began as an initiative to improve the store’s visibility and services went beyond these measures to transform the bookstore into a vibrant meeting place that invigorates the store and its broader surroundings and supports UBC students’ general well-being.

image : Ema Peter

image: Latrielle-Delage

image : Ema Peter

The design team began by pushing the store’s perimeter outwards and wrapping the eroded concrete face with a high performance glass skin, that converted the bookstore’s fortress-like edifice into a luminous glass box that both uplifts the retail experience and improves campus safety by creating visual connections with the adjacent courtyard and streets.

image: Ema Peter

With this box, the architects were able to open the introspective interiors, and clarify the previously convoluted plan. The addition houses prime retail space for UBC merchandise, a new convenience store, a coffee shop, and a variety of flexible spaces that encourage gathering and informal exchange. The coffee shop and convenience store spill out onto a newly landscaped courtyard, further activating the campus edges.

A glazed mezzanine over the coffee shop and new retail zone offers students a place to relax, hold impromptu discussions, study independently, or organize small get-togethers. Its elevated position creates optimal people-watching opportunities and adds more eyes on the street. Wanting to draw natural light from the glass box into the lower retail level, the design team cut a wide set of stairs to the basement.

image: Latrielle-Delage

image: Ema Peter

image: Latrielle-Delage

The poured concrete steps, with integrated wood seating, warmly invite students to explore the retail areas beyond while also offering both a casual respite spot, and convenient seating for talks and concerts.

image: Ema Peter

image : Ema Peter

Revamping the store on all levels of detail, the design team developed new branding derived from the store’s essence: the book. They created a new logo comprised of colourful, geometric shapes that abstractly depict open books, assembled in the form of a lowercase “b”. By assigning each shape a colour that represents one of the departments in the store, the design team created a unified graphic language for the signage and wayfinding system, visibility strips, and shopping bags.

image : Ed White

To engage the community in the bookstore’s redevelopment and its 95th anniversary, the architects invited UBC’s professors, students, administrators and tourists to name their favourite books. Then, they created a window frit comprised of the first sentence of page 95 from each entry. As sunlight filters through this sea of abstract literary language, the words wash over the interiors in a play of light and shadow while also providing shading and privacy.

image : Ed White

University of British Columbia Bookstore – Building Information

Name: UBC bookstore expansion and renovation
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Project Value: $5 million
Project Size: 79,650 sq.ft.
Completion: September 2014

Project Team:
Principal-in-Charge, Architecture Lead | Steve McFarlane
Supporting Principal, Interiors Lead | Michelle Biggar
Project Associate | Rob Grant
Project Architect | Susanne Hunter
Others | Anabella Alfonzo, Will Blair, Jessie Croll, Adam Jennings, Kevin Kong, Heather
Maxwell, Hozumi Nakai, Lydia Robinson, Michael Townshend, Jing Xu
Services: Architecture, Interior Design, Graphics/Branding, Signage

image : Ema Peter