Capilano University has opened its first on-campus student housing building at its North Vancouver campus, providing homes for 362 students.
The new six-storey building, named Treehouse (Lam̓íwa/θqétəw̓txʷ), reflects a shared vision of “a home in the woods,” according to the news release. The Squamish Nation and Tsleil-Waututh Nation provided the names Lam̓íwa and θqétəw̓txʷ, which both translate to “Treehouse.”
The building will primarily serve first- and second-year students, helping ease the transition to university life and foster a sense of community and belonging.
According to the news release, the building includes a mix of single- and double-occupancy rooms, 12 accessible units, and shared laundry, washroom, study, lounge and kitchen spaces on each floor. The ground floor houses a First Nations-focused reflection and gathering space, a café, bike storage, a multipurpose room and student support spaces.
A 250-seat, mass-timber dining hall connected to the housing building will provide meal service to students living on campus, as well as faculty, staff and commuter students.
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“After two years of commuting three hours a day, moving into housing changed my university experience,” said Manroop Kaur, a CapU student. “Treehouse means more students can have that same opportunity right on campus — closer to class, closer to community and better able to succeed. It’s not just a place to live, it’s a place where you belong.”
Jason Dewling, president of Capilano University, said the opening of Treehouse was made possible with support from the Province. “Home is more than a place. It’s where dreams take root, resilience grows and futures begin,” Dewling said. “With the opening of Treehouse, the first on-campus student housing building at Capilano University’s North Vancouver campus, we thank the Province for helping us create a campus community where students have safe, affordable housing and a space to learn and thrive.”
According to the news release, the $58.2-million project for the student housing building and dining hall was funded jointly by the Province and Capilano University, with $41.5 million from the Province and $16.7 million from the university.
Since 2017, the Province has committed more than $4 billion in post-secondary education infrastructure, including $2 billion for student housing that has created nearly 7,300 new student spaces across British Columbia, with thousands more underway, and more than $2 billion for other post-secondary campus infrastructure.
Bowinn Ma, Minister of Infrastructure, said the new student housing will give students a supportive place to live, study and build community while making it easier for them to access education and opportunities.
Jessie Sunner, Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, said safe, affordable and convenient student housing connects students with supports, services and their campus community, building a foundation for academic success.
Susie Chant, MLA for North Vancouver-Seymour, said the opening of the housing is an important milestone for North Vancouver and the North Shore, and that the new homes will help more students live closer to campus, strengthen their connection to the university community, and ease pressure on the local rental market.
