British Columbia Institute of Technology’s Guichon Creek Restoration project has earned an Envision Platinum award for sustainable infrastructure from ISI. The project was prompted due to the formation of a sinkhole caused by a failing culvert on campus adjacent to one of the buildings on BCIT’s south campus, in Burnaby, B.C. Urgent remediation works were recommended following a site visit that identified the sinkhole would likely grow, posing risks to infrastructure as well as life safety.

The BCIT Campus Plan was developed through extensive consultation and identified restoring Guichon Creek through daylighting projects, as a goal. When the Burnaby campus was developed, a section of Guichon Creek was culverted to flow underground from the south to north of campus.  The project leveraged this plan to develop a prompt strategy that would both address the current sinkhole and mitigate risks of future sinkholes.

This solution not only offered enhancements to campus with new green space, but also supported resilience strategies by removing the risk of future culvert failures and sizing the creek’s capacity to accommodate 100-year storm events. Other benefits of the project included installing a fish ladder to support fish migration efforts, contributing to the campus’s Living Labs program, and demonstrate BCIT’s focus on sustainable solutions.

“Although born from an emergency response, this project became an important step in the larger revitalization of Guichon Creek. The Creek is more than a piece of infrastructure to BCIT; it’s a valuable habitat for a host of native plants and animals, and a wonderful amenity for students and employees, as well as the neighboring community. Work in and around the Creek is always done with care and thoughtful stewardship and the Envision framework was a perfect partner in the process.”
— Joe Cosh, BCIT Director of Facilities Improvements