Student Union Building
| UBC Student Union Building | |
|---|---|
| |
|
| |
| Location | |
| Address: | 6138 Student Union Blvd Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z1 Canada |
The UBC Life Building (formerly the Student Union Building) was a student facility that opened in 1968. It served as the student union building of UBC until 2015, when the AMS Student Nest replaced it as the new home of the Alma Mater Society (AMS). The building has since been repurposed into the UBC Life Building.
The Life Building is now home to the ARC fitness gym, Go Global, International Student Advising, and the UBC Wellness Centre.
Location
The UBC Life Building is located at 6138 Student Union Blvd, Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z1. It can be found west of the UBC Aquatic Centre, north of the AMS Student Nest, and south of the Student Recreation Centre (SRC) North.
History
The "Student Union Building (or SUB)" opened on Sept. 26, 1968 on the site of the old University stadium.
It was the second SUB on the UBC campus. The first was Brock Hall, which opened in 1940 and quickly became inadequate to serve the growing student population of the late 1950s.
Starting in 1958, discussions began for building a new SUB, but serious action was delayed until the 1960s when an architectural consultant was hired and a design competition was held. The winner of the competition was Kenneth R. Snider, and plans were put in place to construct a new building based on his design.
To pay for the new building, the students approved a $15 increase in their AMS fee through a referendum, and altogether paid about $3.5 million of the $5 million cost.
When it opened in 1968, the new SUB contained business offices for the AMS, a bank, a barbershop, a games room, a cafeteria, an auditorium, meeting rooms, club rooms, and a bowling alley (the bowling alley remained until the mid-1980s).
The SUB at that time did not contain a pub, but a campaign in favour of a student drinking establishment on campus soon led to the opening of The Pit, which was first located on the second floor. Only in 1973, after an expansion of the SUB, did The Pit move into its current basement location and operate there until 2015, when it moved to the Nest.
Read more about the new SUB plans. Via AMS Website
In 2008, the Alma Society Society voted in a successful referendum to build a new student union building. After heavy negotiation with UBC, the AMS Student Nest was constructed next to the SUB. Opening in June 1, 2015, the facility replaced the old building as the epicentre for student interaction. In 2018, the old student union building received a new interior appearance and was renamed the UBC Life Building.
Businesses in the UBC Life Building
- Norm Theatre
- Subway
- Starbucks
- Booster Juice
- Sprouts