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VANCOUVER — A new $45 expansion at UBC’s Beaty Biodiversity Centre is open, thanks to the philanthropic support from the Ross and Trisha Beaty family and Gordon B. Shrum, matched by the university.

The centre houses the Biodiversity Research Centre (BRC) and the Beaty Biodiversity Museum. It also adds a new fossil storage room for the museum and a pollinator garden supporting local biodiversity, states a release.

“The loss of biodiversity due to human impact on nature is one of the world’s most pressing problems today,” said Ross Beaty, UBC alumnus and volunteer with UBC’s FORWARD campaign in a statement. “UBC’s expanded Biodiversity Research Centre will help address this. My family and I applaud the work done to date at the centre by UBC’s students and faculty and appreciate UBC’s decision to expand this world-class facility. Good research here will help us find solutions to today’s biodiversity crisis.”

The extension adds about 48,000 square feet over six storeys. It has been coined “2050-ready,” meaning it has been designed for thermal comfort, adaptable to changing rainfall and optimized for indoor air quality in future climates, the release notes. Other features include bird-friendly patterned windows and a pollinator-friendly garden planted primarily with native species.

More than 100 BRC research faculty span multiple UBC departments. The new meeting spaces and partner offices that are part of the addition promote collaboration between researchers, municipalities and community partners such as the Hakai Institute, the City of Vancouver and more.