Inside LaSalle College Vancouver's new 108,000 sq. ft. high-tech campus | Daily Hive

Inside LaSalle College's new 108,000 sq. ft. high-tech campus in East Vancouver

The new LaSalle College Vancouver campus, as of May 2025's construction progress. (Kenneth Chan)

This summer, LaSalle College Vancouver (LSCV) will open the doors to its brand-new, seven-storey, 108,000 sq. ft. campus next to SkyTrain’s Renfrew Station in East Vancouver.

Designed to merge architecture, technology, and art, the purpose-built facility sits next to the post-secondary institution’s adjacent soon-to-be-former home and is poised to become a training ground for British Columbia’s next generations of fashion, graphics, and interior designers, as well as chefs, hospitality and event managers, filmmakers, animation and visual effects artists, and video game developers.

While riding the Millennium Line, the building at 2750 Kaslo St. is impossible to miss with its crystal-like form and striking glass façade just steps from the transit hub. This premium Class AAA-calibre office building — named “The Kaslo” — was designed by the architectural firm Arcadis and is owned by local developer Molnar Group.

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LaSalle College Vancouver occupies the east tower and most of the base podium. Currently, the complex’s remaining space of about 110,000 sq. ft. of office space, the entirety of the west tower, is available for lease.

The private post-secondary institution’s old home at 2665 Renfrew St. was originally built in 1990 as a single-level warehouse. About 15 years ago, this warehouse was drastically overhauled for LSCV, with about 88,000 sq. ft. spanning two levels through the addition of an internal level. The institution’s roots stretch back nearly half a century, previously operating under the name of The Art Institute of Vancouver before becoming part of the LaSalle College network.

In an interview with Daily Hive Urbanized last month, Jason Dewling, the Campus President of LaSalle College Vancouver, said that while the new facility is only about 20,000 sq. ft. larger, the purpose-designed space carries a much more efficient layout, providing the institution with the long-term capacity to nearly double its enrolment growth.

Currently, there are about 2,700 students, but the new space can easily handle as many as 5,000 students.

lasalle college vancouver 2750 kaslo street

The new LaSalle College Vancouver campus, as of May 2025’s construction progress. (Kenneth Chan)

LaSalle College Vancouver has experienced significant shifts in its student demographics in recent years. According to Dewling, the composition of the student body has changed markedly since before the pandemic.

Dewling says that the institution’s student makeup has changed considerably since before the pandemic.

Previously, roughly one-third of students came from China, another third from various other international countries, and the final third were domestic students.

Today, there is a notably higher proportion of students from India — reflecting a broader trend seen across many post-secondary institutions in the region. At the same time, increased competition has led to changes in domestic enrolment patterns. Still, Dewling notes, “we are one of the higher percentages of domestic students in the private sector.”

If all goes according to plan, Dewling says the first students — particularly those in the culinary program — will begin using the new space in July 2025. By September 2025, LSCV is expected to fully vacate its old building and complete the transition into its new, purpose-built facility next door. A public open house is scheduled for this Thursday, June 19, 2025.

LSCV collaborated with Tony Osborn Architecture + Design (TOAD) and internationally renowned firm Gensler — recognized for its expertise in educational design — to execute the tenant improvements for the building’s interior.

“Gensler spends about a million dollars a year on research and development just for educational spaces. So they applied their lens through two reviews to help us get it even to a better outcome for our students,” Dewling told Daily Hive Urbanized.

The result is a modern, high-tech learning environment meticulously tailored to the institution’s specific needs and creative vision.

For instance, a large commercial-grade kitchen on the ground level is equipped with overhead cameras to support recordings and live cooking demonstrations for LSCV’s culinary programs. The kitchen includes six cooking stations, accommodating up to 12 students, and is also outfitted to support catering operations. It is strategically located next to the campus bistro and the main atrium — an open, multi-functional, two-storey space that also serves as a venue for events and showcases.

The new LaSalle College Vancouver campus, as of May 2025’s construction progress. (Kenneth Chan)

The atrium is also adjacent to a soundstage, backdropped by a full LED video wall and a green screen. A folding wall enables the soundstage to open up into the atrium as a multi-purpose, flexible space for events, including graduations, fashion shows, and other showcases and celebrations.

Throughout the building, classrooms are outfitted with modern desks featuring built-in power outlets, regular USB, and USB-C connections — ensuring every student has direct access to a range of ports. For instructors, the setup is equally streamlined: by simply plugging into a USB-C port, they can instantly begin their lesson on an interactive touchscreen without the need to log into any system, enabling a seamless and efficient teaching experience.

High-tech fire safety features are also integrated into the campus design, including automatic steel shutters that swiftly close and latch to seal off windows when a fire is detected. This advanced mechanical system represents a considerable investment that allowed for the inclusion of large, floor-to-ceiling, east-facing windows on an upper-level learning space — bringing in more natural light while meeting safety regulations.

Dewling says the solution was part of a negotiated compromise with City officials to mitigate fire risk to the neighbouring building, the college’s old home.

Access to the new building and its numerous rooms and specialized spaces is managed through RFID technology integrated into student ID cards, providing secure and streamlined entry while ensuring only authorized individuals can access designated areas.

The sixth level features a raised flooring system, with the surface elevated approximately eight inches above the concrete slab. This design future-proofs the space by allowing for the flexible installation of new equipment, wiring, and technology beneath the floor, ensuring the area can adapt to evolving academic and industry needs.

The new LaSalle College Vancouver campus, as of May 2025’s construction progress. (Kenneth Chan)

On a lower level, LSCV has invested heavily in its music studios, sparing no expense to ensure top-tier acoustic performance. Hundreds of thousands of dollars went into customizing the studios with specialized soundproof drywall and a unique layer of sand beneath the flooring — an advanced construction technique that significantly enhances sound isolation and clarity for both recording and production.

A spacious common area on the second floor includes a dedicated gaming lounge with multiple large video screens, creating a vibrant hub for student life and digital media programs. Adjacent to it is a fully enclosed, suspended theatre with fixed stadium-style seating for over 50 people.

This elevated theatre can be fully blacked out for screenings or performances, but it also features an expansive window that overlooks the main-level atrium and soundstage below. Designed with versatility in mind, the theatre can serve as overflow space for larger gatherings. Altogether, the interconnected, multi-level areas surrounding the two-storey atrium can accommodate up to 700 people for major campus events.

In addition to the bistro located in the atrium, the campus also features a cafe, offering another social and study space for students. One of its standout design elements is a striking fabric ceiling installation that hovers above a long communal table, adding visual interest and a warm, inviting atmosphere to the space.

Overall, the entire building is designed for events in mind, with flexible, movable furniture and finishings, for the ability to not only be flexible for the needs of students and school events and programming, but also enable the spaces to be booked for private events — including weddings — as an ancillary revenue source for the institution.

The new LaSalle College Vancouver campus, as of May 2025’s construction progress. (Kenneth Chan)

The seventh level offers additional major event facilities, including a spacious indoor event room that seamlessly connects to a sprawling outdoor rooftop terrace. This rooftop features a variety of seating areas, including picnic tables, as well as a ping pong table and planters — some of which are for landscaping, and others designated for food garden plots that can supply ingredients for the building’s kitchen.

Large sliding glass doors open the interior to the rooftop, creating a flexible outdoor that also serves as an amenity space for students. Panoramic views of East Vancouver and Burnaby’s Brentwood skyline can be enjoyed from this space, which can accommodate up to several hundred people both indoors and outdoors.

Dewling says the guiding principle behind the design of LSCV’s new campus can be summed up in a single concept: a “regret minimization framework.” The idea, he explains, was to make forward-thinking choices that would prevent future limitations — investing in flexibility, quality, and technology now to avoid missed opportunities and costly upgrades later.

These views from the rooftop are expected to change significantly in the coming years and decades from the area’s transit-oriented development evolution. Under the City of Vancouver’s forthcoming Rupert and Renfrew Station Area Plan — which envisions high-density growth around SkyTrain’s Rupert and Renfrew stations — the surrounding area could see the rise of mixed-use tower developments reaching heights of 40 to 60 storeys. As such, LSCV is poised to become a key anchor institution within this rapidly transforming, transit-oriented urban hub.

The new LaSalle College Vancouver campus, as of May 2025’s construction progress. (Kenneth Chan)

Culinary demonstration; the new LaSalle College Vancouver campus. (Kenneth Chan)

“You can see from the skyline, the density in Burnaby around the SkyTrain stations. Vancouver’s been slower to put density, but Renfrew Station is a great example where the north side of the train station has offices with businesses and two-storey housing. And now, the City is easing up on the height restrictions,” Dewling told Daily Hive Urbanized.

“We think it’s great to have density around SkyTrain because it keeps vehicles off the road and gives people the more homes they need.”

LSCV’s landlord, The Molnar Group, is also the developer behind Renfrew Village (formerly known as Renfrew Apartments) — a nearby project consisting of two eight-storey, mixed-use buildings just west of the campus along Renfrew Street, immediately north of the college’s former location. The development includes 184 secured purpose-built rental homes, with both buildings reaching completion this spring and welcoming their first residents. The ground floors feature retail/restaurant spaces, animating the surrounding streetscape and provide students and local residents with expanded options near the transit hub.

As for the future of LSCV’s former home next door, it will not remain vacant for too long. Dewling shared that the building will be converted into a private elementary and secondary school for Kindergarten to Grade 12, with the new owners set to take possession this fall.

The elementary and secondary school aims to welcome its first students by September 2026. In preparation, major tenant improvements are planned, including the construction of a gymnasium.

The newly completed Renfrew Village Apartments, as seen from the rooftop of the new LaSalle College Vancouver campus. (Kenneth Chan)

View of SkyTrain’s Renfrew Station from the rooftop of the new LaSalle College Vancouver campus. (Kenneth Chan)

New mural next to the main entrance into new LaSalle College Vancouver campus, as of May 2025’s construction progress. (Kenneth Chan)

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