University of Victoria officially opens new student housing facility

VICTORIA – A new student housing facility has opened at the University of Victoria a year ahead of schedule.

The new residence, which has been housing students since September, has 385 single-room dormitory-style beds, primarily for first-year students, and an Indigenous student lounge.

The new residence is part of a larger student housing project built in two phases. The first building opened in September 2022 and includes 398 single-room dormitory-style student beds and a 600-seat dining hall. As part of the project two old buildings are being torn down and in total the project adds 621 new beds and 162 replacement beds, increasing affordable on-campus housing by 25 per cent, a release said.

The B.C. government provided the university with $127.7 million to support the $235.9 million project.

Both residences were built using stone and wood, consistent with the province’s CleanBC plan, the release added, and have been designed and constructed to achieve Passive House and LEED V4 Gold certifications.

Other Vancouver Island student housing projects currently underway include 217 beds at North Island College at a total project cost of $77.9 million ($75.9 million provincial funding) and 266 beds at Vancouver Island University at a total project cost of $87.8 million ($87 million provincial funding).

B.C.’s 2023 budget includes $575 million for on-campus student housing over three years.