A 100-bed student housing facility is slated to be built on Okanagan College’s Vernon campus, and the college is looking to integrate aspects of Indigenous culture into the designs.
According to a request for qualifications (RFQ) issued Friday, Dec. 3, the project is expected to be up to five storeys and constructed using mass timber in accordance with BC Energy Step Code step-four performance targets. The new facility will include interior and exterior student support and amenity spaces.
It is expected that the design and build will cost around $17.5 million.
The facility will be constructed immediately south of the existing trades building and directly west of College Way, in the southeast corner of the campus.
The college is looking to integrate aspects of Indigenous culture into the design of the building “to harbour a sense of knowledge and history that can be observed and experienced by students, staff and visitors using the facility,” according to the RFQ.
The RFQ closes on Dec. 10. A shortlist of bidders will be announced Dec. 24 and a contract will be awarded in the summer of 2022, when construction is also scheduled to commence. Substantial completion of the project is slated for November 2023.
The project has received approval from the province to proceed to the procurement stage.
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