University of Victoria SAFE Design Transit Exchange Upgrade

2017 | Victoria, BC

To address the University of Victoria’s evolving needs, the transit exchange on the east side of Finnerty Road needed an upgrade. In partnership with BC Transit, the University of Victoria sought to update the exchange to increase capacity, improve layout, include shelter, lighting, and signage, and repair areas of failed concrete and asphalt.

McElhanney was engaged to design a transit loop: one that could service students within a small footprint, integrate passenger facilities without obstructing pedestrian flow, and incorporate SAFE Design principles.

To design the new transit loop with SAFE Design principles, McElhanney followed the initial steps of the SAFE Design Certification process:

SAFE Design Risk Analysis

Our team conducted a data-driven, multi-scale risk analysis to identify hazards and other issues relevant to University of Victoria’s context, location, use, and history.

SAFE Design Property Assessment

Informed by the hazards identified in the risk analysis, our team assessed the transit loop space to measure its compliance with SAFE Design performance requirements, identify critical vulnerabilities, and prioritize required mitigations.

SAFE Design Recommendations

McElhanney team members used the SAFE Design toolkit to guide project interest holders through a customized assessment of the property’s perimeter, landscape, building envelope, and interiors.

By designing the University of Victoria’s new transit exchange with SAFE Design principles in mind, the project team created a space that was intrinsically inclusive and secure.

McElhanney provided: