UBC designated a house on the campus grounds for MFA studio space, fondly known at Platypus House in the Department of Creative Studies, but officially known as University House – was renovated to create six Visual Arts studios, a shared studio for Creative Writing students, and shared space for all FCCS Graduate Students.
It is located past the pond in the southeast corner of campus. What started out as a Panabode home in the 1960s has now been reinvented as a collection of studio and performance spaces for graduate students in the Fine Arts. These include one-room studios for visual artists, a large living room/performance space for small gatherings, a large workshop space and a separate studio with a dance floor for performing artists. This house has a kitchen, a large storage area in a garage, and a great deck and yard for socializing. The “living room” in the house can be used for performances, meetings, readings, or other related events.
UBC installed a portable next to this house that was designated a Graduate Performance Studio space. MFA performance students can this large room use 24/7 without needing to worry about classes booking the space.