Major Capital Projects
Campus and Community Planning is responsible for KPU’s five-year capital plan. We oversee the major capital construction projects, managing the capital planning process to ensure all projects align with the university’s strategic priorities and reflect the recommendations outlined in the KPU2050 Official Campus Plan.
KPU Surrey Child Care Facility
KPU, in partnership with the Métis Nation of BC ("MNBC"), is in the process of developing a new, two-storey child care facility at KPU Surrey, in response to the lack of accessible quality childcare in the Surrey community. In addition to providing 61 child care spaces, the facility will provide practicum placement opportunities for Early Childhood Education (ECE) students.
The current schematic design work is the first step towards delivering consistent, quality, and inclusive childcare in an effort to meet the needs of families that might be working or studying at KPU, members of the MNBC, and the wider Surrey community. The facility will also provide an opportunity to increase Indigenous programming in early childhood education, to respond to the calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
The childcare facility will integrate holistically with the vision and guidelines outlined within the KPU2050 Official Campus Plan as well as its Sustainability Framework. As a post-secondary institution, the University has a mandate to ensure that all new construction is completed with sustainability and reduced carbon emissions and energy use as key requirements.
The project is currently in the Schematic Design stage, and will be proceeding into the Design Development stage later in the year.
How Can I Get Involved?
The design process for this project has been a collaborative effort between various KPU administrative staff, faculty, as well as members of the MNBC.
In addition, a Partnership Committee has been formed with the MNBC in light of their significant experience in developing childcare facilities in BC.
KPU has also engaged its Indigenous Advisory Committee, the Surrey Community Child Care Task Force, and will continue to seek out engagement opportunities regarding this project.
On February 17th 2023, KPU hosted a media event formally announcing the KPU Surrey Childcare Facility project, as well as our partnership with the MNBC. Guests included Hon. Harry Bains (MLA for Surrey Newton), several key members of the MNBC including the President of the Board of Director, as well as media attendance.
Current Schematic Design
KPU Surrey Learning Gardens
CCP has launched a process to complete the design drawings for a series of Learning Garden projects at our Surrey campus. The idea for the Learning Gardens emerged as a quick impact project under the KPU2050 Official Campus Plan, to help support KPU's vision as a transformational learning environment.
The Learning Gardens are also intended to enhance the open space network of the Surrey campus, and through them, foster further awareness, dialogue, and reflection on critical issues including reconciliation, diversity, equity, inclusion and climate change. The programming of these spaces is anticipated to be enhanced through partnerships with KPU's faculties, students, and Indigenous peoples to showcase Indigenous ceremonial plantings and wisdom, student art, sustainability demonstration projects, and other installations.
The Learning Gardens project is currently in the design development stage, to be followed by the creation of construction drawings. Implementation will be subject to the securing of additional capital funding.
How Can I Get Involved?
Throughout December 2022 to January 2023, CCP attended various Faculty Council meetings to provide an overview, as well as to gather faculty feedback on the KPU Surrey Learning Gardens project. Several pop-up events were hosted in the Fall of 2022 at the KPU Surrey campus (within the Arbutus Library as well the Cedar building) to introduce the project to the wider KPU community including our students, as well as to gather their initial feedback.
Meetings are currently being held on a bi-monthly basis with the project Working Group, which comprises representatives from the academic faculties, administrative departments, as well as KPU's Elder Lekeyten and Elder Cheryl Gabriel of the Kwantlen First Nation.
KPU Welcome Plaza
CCP is currently undertaking a design process for an enhanced welcome plaza area that will connect KPU students and employees taking transit, with the heart of the Surrey campus. This project was launched in response to a new TransLink R6 RapidBus line, which will provide express transit service connecting Newton Exchange to the Scott Road skytrain station. One of the stops along this express, limited-stop serice is KPU's Surrey campus.
The plaza is envisioned to be a welcome, vibrant and animated forefront of the KPU Surrey Campus. The concepts create a transit-oriented gateway for KPU Surrey, as well as an opportunity to collaborate with Indigenous communities and organizations to ensure Indigenous cultures and values are included and celebrated through this improvement to the campus' public realm.
The Welcome Plaza project is currently in the design development stage, to be followed by the creation of construction drawings. Implementation will be subject to the securing of additional capital funding.
How Can I Get Involved?
Throughout December 2022 to January 2023, CCP attended various Faculty Council meetings to provide an overview, as well as to gather faculty feedback on the KPU Surrey Welcome Plaza project. Several pop-up events were hosted in the Fall of 2022 at the KPU Surrey campus (within the Arbutus Library as well the Cedar building) to introduce the project to the wider KPU community including our students, as well as to gather their initial feedback.
Meetings are currently being held on a bi-monthly basis with the project Working Group, which comprises representatives from the academic faculties, administrative departments, as well as KPU's Elder Lekeyten and Elder Cheryl Gabriel of the Kwantlen First Nation.