Opened in April 2008, the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre provides a welcoming and dynamic teaching and learning environment with classrooms, informal learning spaces and library resources and services. The Learning Centre was made possible by a generous gift from Dr. Irving K. Barber with additional funding provided by UBC and the Province of British Columbia
Building Highlights
- Collection space for 2,100,000 volumes including open stack shelving and 1,800,000 item capacity with the Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS)
- Rare Books and Special Collections Reading Room and climate-controlled vault for rare books and archives
- The Wallace B. and Madeline H. Chung Collection and exhibition space
- New locations for:
- School of Library, Archival, and Information Studies (SLAIS)
- Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology (CTLT)
- UBC Gateway Programs – Arts One, Science One, Coordinated Arts and Coordinated Science
- Community concourse and display space
- Chapman Learning Commons located in the historical 1925 core
- Dodson and Lillooet Rooms
- Variety of informal study areas with over 1,500 study seats
- 157-seat Victoria Learning Theatre
- 6 classrooms of various seating capacity, from 40 to 110 seats
- 5 seminar rooms
- 21 group study/project rooms
- A variety of group and silent/quiet study spaces
- Ike’s Café with 130-seats
Environmentally Sustainable Features
- Radiant in-slab heating and cooling system
- High performance triple glazing
- Displacement ventilation
- Selected 'healthier' low emitting (or VOC-free) materials for improved indoor environment quality
- Material selection: Building's demolition materials were collected, sorted and either recycled or reused in the building. For example: the granite from the demolished wings was re-used on the new south-east terrace and on the north (ASRS) façade; The Heritage Core doors, casework and other woodwork items were refinished and reused; Some of the old library shelving was recycled
- Selected materials that could be recycled at the end of their lifecycle
- Selected and sourced materials in close proximity as possible to the project helped to reduce the energy required for materials transport (precast, glass, pavers)
