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Effects of Mixed-Use Green Roof on Student Community & Subjective Well-Being : A Case Study of the University of British Columbia’s Exchange Residence Green Roof

University of British Columbia. Student Services; University of British Columbia. Campus and Community Planning; University of British Columbia. Student Housing and Hospitality Services

A growing body of research indicates that university green spaces positively impact the subjective well-being of university students by providing benefits to physical and mental health and good social relations. The green roof of the University of British Columbia’s Exchange Residence building shares many features of conventional green spaces, but its location over an active bus exchange and integration into a high-density residence building may impact its well-being potential. This small-scale, exploratory study investigates how the green roof’s unconventional design elements affect users’ perception of the space and its effect on their subjective well-being. Using qualitative methods, a total of eight participants (including student residents of the building, non-resident students, and Building Operations staff) were interviewed. The results show that some green roof users perceive the space as providing restorative and social benefits including emotional relief from stress and improved social cohesion. Although these users perceive the space as being less natural and restorative than other campus green spaces, its convenient location is a significant factor in participants’ preference for visiting the green roof over more natural spaces. The study results also suggest a social-restorative benefit trade-off between green spaces that are perceived as highly natural and green spaces that have greater visibility. The paper concludes with recommendations for improving the green roof’s well-being benefits and suggestions for future research. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”

Report

eng

2022-10-26

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/82986

Unreviewed

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/