CASE STUDY

UBC Musqueam Crosswalk
with TrafficPatterns

The University of British Columbia (UBC), in collaboration with Musqueam staff, elders, and community members, sought to create a culturally significant and visually distinct feature to enhance the arrival experience for students. This project resulted in the development of the UBC Musqueam Crosswalk, a landmark installation at the high-traffic intersection of University Boulevard and Wesbrook Mall.

The Challenge: Creating a Meaningful and Durable Landmark

UBC was undertaking several initiatives to reintroduce Musqueam culture across campus, integrating meaningful artwork and storytelling into public spaces. For this project, the goal was to create a highly visible and welcoming crosswalk that would:

Celebrate Musqueam heritage and culture
Serve as a landmark arrival point for students and visitors
Withstand heavy pedestrian and vehicular traffic
Maintain design clarity and slip resistance in all weather conditions

The University of British Columbia in collaboration with Musqueam staff, elders and community members were doing various enhancements to its campus and wanted to reintroduce Musqueam culture. Along with the art and cultural displays in campus, they were looking for a distinctive feature to welcome students that would also acknowledge how the University is located on ancestral Musqueam land.

Stakeholders: Campus and Community Planning at the University of British Columbia, Musqueam staff, elders, and community members.

Key Requirements:

Cultural Landmark

Must be visually striking and representative of Musqueam values

High durability

Engineered to endure constant foot and vehicle traffic

All weather performance

Withstand Canada’s varied weather conditions

Slip resistance

Ensure pedestrian safety year-round

The Solution: TrafficPatterns® Decorative Crosswalks

HUB Surface Systems recommended TrafficPatterns®, a preformed thermoplastic pavement marking system that is ideal for high-traffic areas with complex visual designs. This patented solution:

Delivers exceptional durability and visual clarity
Allows for intricate, culturally significant artwork to be embedded in asphalt
Is low-maintenance, long-lasting, and engineered for public infrastructure
Meets requirements for safety, sustainability, and design integrity

The result:

The completed UBC Musqueam Crosswalk is a vibrant, symbolic feature that serves as both a functional crosswalk and a cultural statement. It enhances campus identity, celebrates Indigenous heritage, and creates a safe and durable pathway for thousands of students and visitors each day.

What's next?

UBC continues to expand cultural representation and functional art throughout campus public spaces. TrafficPatterns® is part of a growing movement to use urban surface design to connect people, place, and purpose.

CASE STUDY

UBC Musqueam Crosswalk
with TrafficPatterns

The Challenge: Creating a Meaningful and Durable Landmark

Key Requirements:

The Solution: TrafficPatterns® Decorative Crosswalks

The result:

What's next?

Products

Applications

Company

HUB Surface Systems (East)

HUB Surface Systems (West)

CASE STUDY

UBC Musqueam Crosswalk with TrafficPatterns

The Challenge: Creating a Meaningful and Durable Landmark

Key Requirements:

The Solution: TrafficPatterns® Decorative Crosswalks

The result:

What's next?

Products

Applications

Company

HUB Surface Systems (East)

HUB Surface Systems (West)

UBC Musqueam Crosswalk
with TrafficPatterns