Perkins&Will and Schmidt Hammer Lassen Complete the MacIsaac Health Building, UBC’s First Zero Carbon Certified Campus Project

Sustainability was a foundational ambition of the project. The MacIsaac Health Building is the first on UBC’s Vancouver campus to achieve Canada Green Building Council (CAGBC) Zero Carbon Building—Design Standard (v2) certification, and it also achieved LEED Gold certification, supporting both UBC’s and Perkins&Will’s long-standing commitments to climate leadership.

The project incorporates a high-performance building envelope, natural ventilation strategies, heat recovery systems, and the design included a whole-building life-cycle assessment that informed opportunities to reduce embodied carbon. Modular and prefabricated construction systems also contributed to construction efficiency, reduced material waste, enhanced quality control, and lowered the project’s overall embodied carbon.

Mass timber plays a central role in the building’s low-carbon strategy. Beyond reducing embodied carbon, the exposed timber structure reflects the Pacific Northwest’s rich building traditions and contributes warmth, character, and a strong connection to place, thus enhancing and supporting the human experience. Low-carbon concrete mixes were also specified to further reduce the building’s embodied carbon.

“The sustainability strategy is woven into many aspects of the building, from material selection to building systems and construction methods,” says Kathy Wardle, Regional Director of Regenerative Design at Perkins&Will. “This project demonstrates how ambitious carbon reduction goals can be achieved while creating spaces that are welcoming, healthy, and inspiring for the people who use them every day.”

As the principal point of arrival to campus, the MacIsaac Health Building reimagines the relationship between building, landscape, and public realm. Set back from University Boulevard, the siting and massing of the building establish a generous public plaza to create a distinct sense of arrival.

The ground floor is conceived as an extension of the landscape, with multiple entrances responding to movement patterns across the site and creating an accessible experience for students, faculty, staff, and visitors alike. The ground floor structure is exposed at the perimeter of the building and exterior walls set back from the upper-level facade to give the appearance of the building floating above the landscape. The column expression at the ground floor is a reinterpretation of the forest that once occupied the site.

At the centre of the building, a six-storey skylit atrium serves as a vibrant social heart, connecting programs, people, and activities throughout the day.

“From the outset, we saw an opportunity to create more than a building. We wanted to create a place that welcomes people into campus and brings them together,” says Jana Foit, Principal at Perkins&Will. “The atrium creates opportunities for connection, collaboration, and community while reinforcing the building’s role as a gateway to UBC.”

Health and well-being are central to the mission of the schools, services, and programs housed within the MacIsaac Health Building, and were fundamental drivers of its design.

The building encourages movement, social interaction, and interdisciplinary collaboration through its open circulation network and visually connected atrium. Access to daylight, views to landscape, healthy materials, and a variety of formal and informal gathering spaces support the well-being of students, faculty, staff, and visitors. The project is also pursuing gold under the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification.

The exposed mass timber structure further enhances the experience of building occupants through its biophilic qualities. Exposed wood beams and columns are expressed throughout the central atrium, creating a warm and welcoming environment that supports comfort, connection, and wellness.