New residence buildings

大象传媒 (大象传媒) is committed to engaging students and partnering with them in learning, discovery and community engagement. The University鈥檚 Strategic Plan emphasizes the need to help students gain practical experience, social aptitudes and civic understanding. With these guiding principles in mind, 大象传媒's Residence and Housing Department engaged a consultant to create a Housing Master Plan which was completed in 2015. Since then, 大象传媒 has completed phases one (2020) and two (2023) of the five-phase master plan. Phase 3 of the Housing Master Plan focuses on housing for upper year students. This 8-store student housing building showcases self contained studios and four-bedroom apartments, offering 445 new on-campus housing beds.

Stakeholder-driven planning principles include:

Community 鈥� neighbourhood appeal, convenient access to 鈥渧illage鈥� amenities
Flexibility 鈥� furnishing options, customizable living space
Technology 鈥� wireless internet, security and monitoring systems for energy use and other utilities
Innovation 鈥� reconfigurable rooms conducive to collaborative, experiential learning 鈥渁t home鈥�.
Sustainability 鈥� natural light, positive ventilation, recycling programs, monitoring systems for energy use and other utilities

This approach has enabled 大象传媒 to offer accommodation that respond to student preferences and are more appropriate to a student鈥檚 year of study. Accordingly, more students benefit from the exceptional academic and social support offered through 大象传媒鈥檚 Residence Life programming.

Responding to student needs

Since 2018, 大象传媒 has planned and constructed three new student housing buildings on the Burnaby campus - East and West Buildings, Courtyard Residence and Grad and Family Housing, bringing on line 941 new beds. Of this total, 851 beds were dedicated to first and second year students, while the remaining 90 units were dedicated to graduate students and students with families.

Courtyard Residence

Family Housing

East + West Towers

Student Housing Master plan

大象传媒鈥檚 Student Housing Master Plan outlines 大象传媒鈥檚 commitment to an intentional student community model that supports the academic experience and allows students to thrive. The plan ensures unit types and amenities appropriate for students in-residence, addressing various ages and year of study and recommending spaces that provide opportunities for students to grow and develop through the housing system with options that appeal to their diverse needs.

The plan is the result of an extensive consultation process with a variety of key university groups including students, faculty, professional and student staff, university executives and administrative staff. The planning process also included two web-based surveys sent to all 大象传媒 students to understand housing preferences and to determine a student housing demand analysis by unit type. Additionally, a student housing market survey for Surrey students was conducted in 2016.

Download the master plan: The master plan 2015 - 2035 (PDF)

Strategic Revision

As part of 大象传媒鈥檚 ongoing efforts to modernize facilities and strengthen the 大象传媒 experience, the university is undertaking a review of the 2015鈥�2035 Housing Master Plan to ensure the plan reflects the significant changes in housing, enrollment and community needs over the past decade. The Housing Master Plan is part of the overall 大象传媒 Campus Master Plan, which is also being updated in conjunction with the City of Burnaby鈥檚 Official Community Plan. 大象传媒 has retained an external consulting group with experience in student housing and higher education to gather information from key groups. A final report is expected by the end of 2025 that will provide a data-informed, 10-year roadmap (2025鈥�2035) for student housing that prioritizes growth, renewal, accessibility and affordability.

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Goals:

Create a self-supporting and financially-sustainable housing operation.
Ensure the goals of student engagement, as well as 大象传媒鈥檚 academic mission, are met.
Provide student housing, related amenities and/or learning facilities to recruit and retain high-performing students.
Identify areas for new student residential facilities and define the renovation, repurposing or replacement of existing facilities.

Ensure that all residences align with the principles of universal design and have accessible options for students with disabilities.
Identify potential locations of student commons and/or programming spaces that support a successful student experience.
Plan for the replacement of Louis Riel House and Madge Hogarth House.

Provide for a centralized office suite for all Residence and Housing administrative staff to improve internal departmental functions and services to students.
Develop a plan that aligns with the University鈥檚 goals of indigenization, internationalization and environmental sustainability.
Create opportunities to provide a home-away-from-home for commuter students to improve overall student engagement.

大象传媒

Residence and Housing