North Campus Outdoor Noise Management

The North Campus of UBC Vancouver is home to institutional buildings, student residences, and arts and cultural facilities. The area is on academic land, which is designated for teaching, research, and other uses needed to support the academic mission of the university and academic life.

There are venues in North Campus that host outdoor events, including the Museum of Anthropology (MOA), Koerner’s Pub and Cecil Green Park House. Being on academic land, these venues are not subject to the neighbourhood noise bylaw.

As such, a noise management guide and practices were developed to minimize the impacts of outdoor noise from their events on adjacent neighbours. The guide and practices are based on municipal and international best practices that are appropriate for this area of campus.

A map showing North Campus

There are two noise management-related documents specific for North Campus:

  1. North Campus Guide for Managing Outdoor Noise from Events: This guide provides planning principles and practices for managing event-related outdoor noise that are appropriate for this area of campus. It includes guidance on the use of sound equipment, and identifies ways to minimize disruption to the campus community during events. This guide was developed by Campus +Community Planning (C+CP) in partnership with North Campus venue representatives, along with input from Green College, Coast Strata and the University Neighbourhoods Association (UNA).
     
  2. Cecil Green Park House Event and Film Practices: This is a companion document to the North Campus Guide for Managing Outdoor Noise from Events. It provides additional details on the measures in place to reduce noise impacts from events, as well as film management practices specific to Cecil Green Park House. This document was developed by Campus +Community Planning (C+CP) in partnership with Alumni UBC, Wescadia Catering, and was informed by input from Green College.

The development of the north campus noise management guide and practices were informed by a consultant report prepared by BKL Consultants. This report was based on: noise testing and analysis conducted in the area from March 31 – April 4, 2016, municipal and international best practices and, consideration for the specific context of the area.