Campus Building Data Standard

Intended Audience and Contact Information

Contact Chief Data Officer, Office of the CIO
UDM Domain Location
Intended Audience Internal UBC

Purpose

This standard aims to achieve consistency around the data collected for Buildings across the University (Vancouver and Okanagan campuses), and the format in which it is collected and stored across the University.

This standard applies to all UBC applications collecting Buildings data. Exceptions are listed in the Dispensation section.

Standard

Building, as a general term, is defined in the UBC Development Handbook as "Any structure, including a usually roofed and walled structure and any affixed mechanical devices, built for temporary or permanent use, and that is used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or occupancy".

The following are guidelines for defining a Building on campus, and should be adhered to for new buildings:

  • Based on distinct building envelope
  • Based on construction material type (Examples: concrete, wood)
  • Based on construction form (Examples: high rise, low rise)

For a selection of current buildings which were identified to be exceptions to the above guidelines, additional rules were used. Please see Appendix. These additional rules do not apply to new buildings.

Attributes of a Building

Following are the attributes of a Building:

Attribute Definition

Building Name

Official name of the building. For Academic and Student Housing, this follows the University’s Policy No. 124, Naming. For Neighbourhood Housing, the name is provided by the applicant for the development project.

Building Code

2-5 character short form of building name, either the acronym of building name or derived from building name. Building Code for academic buildings may be used as a classroom code where applicable.

Building Form

Classification of building based on the form of the structure.

Building Jurisdiction

The extent or range of judicial, law-enforcement, or other authority. (e.g. UBC, UNA)

Building Management

The organization that leases and/or manages the building. Examples of values include: UBCPT (UBC Properties Trust), Parking, UNA (University Neighbourhoods Association), TransLink, Non-UBC.

Building Construction Material

Classification of building based on construction material type. As specified in the Development Permit.

Construction Status

Status of Building indicated by the type of Permit received.

Occupancy Date

The date on which Occupancy Permit was issued.

Building State

Physical state of the occupancy in the building.

Building Condition

Based on the Facility Condition Index (FCI), aggregated to the Building level. The FCI is calculated based on the total cost of needed building repairs and renewal, divided by the current cost of replacing the building.

Building Usage

Classification of building based on its main usage (largest floor area).

Secondary Usage

Indicates a secondary usage of a building, if a building has multiple usages (second largest floor area).

Building Maintenance

Identify who the building is maintained by. Examples of values include: UBC Building Operations, Student Housing and Hospitality Services, and others.

Gross Building Area

The sum of all horizontal areas of each storey within the exterior stud face of all exterior and basement walls. See UBC Development Handbook Section 3.3: Building Area, for full list of inclusions and exclusions. As reported in Building Permit and As-built drawings.

Maximum Number of Floors

Total floors above and below grade. As specified in the Development Permit.

Accessibility Rating

Based on the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification (RHFAC) rating system. The system evaluates the meaningful access of commercial, institutional, and multi-unit residential buildings and sites.

Green Status

Identifies the program and the level of certification a building has achieved. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is for academic buildings and the Residential Environmental Assessment Program (REAP) is for residential neighbourhood buildings.

Footprint Area

Total ground floor area of a building. As specified in the Development Permit.

Real Property Type

A description of the type of ownership or contractual relationship of UBC’s with respect to buildings, lands, or sites (Real Property).

Building Form Standard

Accepted Data Values for Building Form

Following are the accepted data values for Building Form:

Accepted Data Value Definition

Apartment <5 Storeys

Type of residential building that is 1-4 storeys (includes both Student and Neighbourhood Housing).

Apartment >5+ Storeys

Type of residential building that is 5 or more storeys (includes both Student and Neighbourhood Housing).

Duplex

Type of residential building that is a townhouse, duplex or row house and 1-3 storeys (includes both Student and Neighbourhood Housing).

Outbuildings

Greenhouse, Utility, Trailer.

Unspecified

The buildings on campus that do not have a specific form.

Parking

Separate parking structures.

Real Property Type Standard

Accepted Data Values for Real Property Type

Following are the accepted data values for Real Property Type:

Accepted Data Value Definition

Fee Simple

The land is owned in Fee Simple (Absolute ownership)

Leased to UBC

A lease is a right to exclusive occupancy and use of land or a building.

Leased from UBC

A lease is a right to exclusive occupancy and use of land or a building.

Licensed to UBC

License is a contractual right to use land or a building for a specific purpose

Licensed from UBC

License is a contractual right to use land or a building for a specific purpose

Other

A Real Property Type different than any of the above (e.g. Northern Way Campus is a joint venture with four other institutions)

Building Construction Material Standard

Accepted Data Values for Building Construction Material

Following are the accepted data values for Building Construction Material:

Accepted Data Value Definition

Concrete

Concrete construction material.

Wood

Wood construction material.

Steel

Steel construction material.

Other/Mixed

Other types of construction material or mixed materials.

Construction Status Standard

Accepted Data Values for Building Status

Following are the accepted data values for Building Status:

Accepted Data Value Definition

Complete

Building has received Occupancy Permit.

Under Construction

Building has received Building Permit.

Building State Standard

Accepted Data Values for Building State

Following are the accepted data values for Building State:

Accepted Data Value Definition

Temporary

A building that is occupied on a limited time basis. The permit issued for the building will outline the terms. Examples: Outbuildings with 5-10 years terms.

Unoccupied

A building is still standing but not occupied any longer.

Under Renovation

The interior of a building is under renovation (e.g. RENEW).

Occupied

Building is occupied and actively being used.

Building Usage Standard

A building can have multiple (mixed) usages. The attribute Building Usage captures the main usage of the building.

Accepted Data Values for Building Usage

Following are the accepted data values for Building Usage:

Accepted Data Value Definition

Academic

Building used for instruction, education, laboratory, or student services purposes.

Administrative

Building used for administrative purposes, mainly offices.

Athletics

Building used for athletics and recreation purposes.

Commons

Building that is located in the mixed-use (primarily student housing with academic) areas identified in the Vancouver Campus Plan.

Commercial

Building used for commercial purposes.

Housing

Building used for residential purposes in neighbourhoods.

Operations

Building used for operational purposes, with limited offices.

Other

Building used for other purposes that are not defined by the other usages. Examples include Theological colleges.

Parking

Building used for parking.

Research

Building used for research purposes. Examples include NRC, TRIUMF.

Services

Building used for the purposes of providing a service to the UBC Community, including students, faculty, staff and residents. Examples include cultural attractions, hospitals, child care centers, community centers.

Student housing

Building used for student housing purposes.

Secondary Usage attribute

A building can have multiple (mixed) usages. The attribute Secondary Usage will be used to capture usage of the building that is secondary to the main usage. Both Building Usage and Secondary Usage take on the same set of allowable values, but these two values must be different for a single building (as determined by the proportion of the gross building area that each usage occupies).

Compliance

This standard about Building must be complied with through every stage of the data lifecycle with the exception of any dispensations (see Dispensation section):

  • All applications must collect Building as recommended in this standard.
  • Enterprise Data Integration must adopt this standard.

Dispensation

Legacy systems are exempt from this data standard. Examples of legacy systems are:

  • Human Resource Management System (HRMS)
  • Finance Management System (FMS)

As systems are replaced, adoption of this standard is required.

As existing systems change to adopt this standard, the Enterprise Data Governance team needs to be informed.

Appendices

Additional rules were used to define current buildings which were identified to be exceptions to the general guidelines. The additional rules incorporated information from existing classroom codes, residence complexes and Houses, and addresses. These rules do not apply to new buildings.
The following are additional rules used for defining current buildings which were exceptions to the general guidelines:

  • Academic buildings:
    • Based on classroom code
  • Student Housing buildings:
    • Most buildings will be part of a student residence complex, with individual building identifiers within the complex
    • Each building may contain Houses which will be treated as sub-buildings
  • Neighbourhood Housing buildings:
    • Based on address
    • Based on construction form (Examples: townhouses, low rises) within the same parcel

     

References

UBC Development Handbook:
https://planning.ubc.ca/sites/planning.ubc.ca/files/documents/planning-services/development/UBC%20Development%20Handbook%20-%20April%202018.pdf

UBC Board of Governors Policy No. 124 – Naming:
https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/files/2010/08/policy124.pdf

UBC Building Operations, Facility Condition Index:
https://buildingoperations.ubc.ca/accountability/understanding-fci/

Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification:
https://www.rickhansen.com/sites/default/files/2019-05/acp-847-guide-certificationmay27web.pdf

UBC Land Use Plan:
https://planning.ubc.ca/vancouver/planning/policies-plans/land-use-governance-documents/land-use-plan

UBC Vancouver Campus Plan:
https://planning.ubc.ca/vancouver/planning/policies-plans/land-use-governance-documents/vancouver-campus-plan

Effective date  
Standard owner Chief Data Officer, Office of the CIO.
Author Rachel Wiersma - Campus and Community Planning, Tang Lee & Alejandro Cervantes - UBC Data Governance
Contributors UBC Geospatial Working Group & UBC Geospatial Steering Committee
Status
Approved DGSC Approved