New student housing at the University of B.C. is getting much smaller.

Its board of governors will vote next Tuesday on giving final approval to building self-contained apartments with a total floor area of 145 sq. ft.

They would be the size of a bedroom, at slightly larger than 12 ft by 12 ft.

The smallest units on campus now are about 232 sq. ft.

When the micro units are finished in 2019, they would rent for between $670 to $690 (adjusted for inflation).

“What we heard from students loudly and really clearly is that affordability is a huge challenge,” said Andrew Parr, managing director of student housing and hospitality services at UBC.

“This is one way we’re contemplating to address affordability. We’re going to test the waters with students.”

The units would contain a bed that pulls out of the wall, a small kitchen area with a fridge under the counter and a cooking unit but no oven. The bathroom would be similar to a shower room with a toilet and sink.

A total of 43 of the smaller units are planned for the new Gage South Student Residence, which will also have suites ranging from studios to four-bedrooms. The residence will house 630 students in four towers five to 14 storeys in height on a two-storey podium.

Designed by the Vancouver design firm Dialog, the whole complex will be on top of the Bus Exchange, which has yet to be built at the corner of Wesbrook Mall and Student Union Boulevard.

The cost of building Gage South is $69.7 million.

Parr said UBC plans to consult with students about the micro units.

“Our intention is to build a mock-up unit that is the actual look and feel and size of one of these units and let students walk through it,” he said.

Parr said UBC played around with different sizes for the micro units, starting at 80 sq. ft and increasing to about 190 sq. ft. They concluded that 145 sq. ft was the smallest possible space capable of accommodating all the amenities needed for student living.

Parr said demand for housing on campus continues to increase. The waiting list for housing on campus reached 6,300 in May, the highest ever recorded at UBC. Last year, it was 5,200. (Parr said while these figures may be inflated because students end up finding other accommodation off campus, it does indicate the demand for on-campus housing.)

Parr said this increase in demand reflects the challenge students face in finding affordable rentals in Vancouver. Students are in a bind because they are often forced to travel further away to find accommodation but spend more time commuting. As well, the number of international students who want to live on campus is increasing.

He said in the past decade, the addition of amenities and services has turned the campus into a much more appealing place for students after classes have ended, he said.

“Students are recognizing that living on campus is a really positive experience for them — socially and academically,” Parr said.

UBC has 9,460 beds on campus for students. Parr said two projects under construction are expected to add 1,600 beds by the summer of 2016 and an additional 1,400 by 2019.

Meanwhile, the Graduate Student Society says the university administration should stop redeveloping land intended for academic use for private housing developments.

“As UBC gets ready to celebrate its first 100 years, it must look ahead to the next 100 years and ensure campus land is projected and reserved for its primary mission of teaching, learning, and research,” Tobias Friedel, GSS president, said in a news release.

Friedel was responding to plans by the university to build apartment buildings for non-students at market rates on University Boulevard between Wesbrook Mall and East Mall on the site of the General Services Administration, which housed administration offices and the D.H. Copp Building.

kevingriffin@vancouversun.com