Global Education Communiti es (GEC) exists to counter all of those bad actors by providing reliable housing options to more than 4,000 students annually from across Canada and 75 countries who come to study in Metro Vancouver.“Let’s say you’re a student from Japan, South Korea, the Middle East or Ontario, you’re going to have adaptation problems moving to a new city,” explains Chu. “It's a stressful experience where they often overpay for rent or face safety issues. We address all of that.”  GEC transforms brick-and-mortar real estate into a live business by offering essential rental housing for students studying in Metro Vancouver. Currently, GEC operates eight apartment towers across Vancouver, with six others under development in Surrey and Richmond. GEC also owns the 121-year-old Sprott Shaw College and Sprott Shaw Language College, which enrol more than 10,000 students across 18 campuses in B.C. and Ontario.GEC’s breadth of experience has seen the company supplying student housing to students from nearly 100 schools locally – UBC, SFU, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Emily Carr University, Langara College and Vancouver Film School, to name a few.

These partnerships allow a seamless transition to living abroad and are completely transparent. Students can get referrals from their post-secondary institution for a GEC property or learn more about the promise of stable living from GEC’s online platform, GECLiving.com  Facebook or Instagram. And the housing need is vast, especially when considering the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation estimates Canada will need 3.5 million more housing units by 2030 to meet demand. “We regularly get compliments from parents and students, but most importantly, from the schools, because we invite our partner schools and their housing directors to regularly visit us – their inspections ensure quality,” Chu says.

As for the suites themselves, picture them as hotel quality without hotel prices offered alongside easy-to-understand lease terms.  All GEC properties are fully furnished with cooking utensils, bedding supplies, high security, weekly housekeeping, on-site caretakers, surveillance cameras in all public areas, utilities and high-speed internet. Students can move in and move out without the stress of settling into a new home.GEC’s expansion plans include the development of a 51-storey Education Mega Centre (EMC) across from the Surrey Central SkyTrain Station. Slated to begin construction next year, EMC will accommodate nearly 1,100 students living within 100 metres of the SFU Surrey Campus, Kwantlen Polytechnic University (Surrey Central Campus) and the pending SFU Medical School.  The list of amenities includes an electronic library, coffee bars, restaurants, gyms, meeting rooms, quiet lounges, video conferencing facilities and game rooms......https://sprottshaw.com/about-us/blog-and-news/                      https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/sponsored/gec-provides-student-housing-to-students-of-nearly-100-educational-institutions-in-metro-vancouver-with-tenants-from-across-canada-and-75-countries-9768847?utm_source=VIA+Newsletter&utm_medium=VIA+Daily&utm_campaign=sponsored+content&utm_source=Vancouver+Is+Awesome&utm_campaign=a79178e348-VIA+Daily+042925&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-a79178e348-97786574&mc_cid=a79178e348&mc_eid=02f1af278b

A winding brick path doubles as a temporary watercourse during heavy rainfall at this urban park in Copenhagen's South Harbour, which has been designed by Danish landscape architect Schønherr. Called Karens Minde Axis, the park was commissioned by the municipality and utility cmpany HOFOR to combine protection against cloudburst – flashes of heavy rain that often lead to flooding – with new natural spaces for the community. Dezeen Jon Astbury | 18 February 2025 Schønherr worked closely with nearby residents to ensure that existing features of the space, such a playground, dog walking park and numerous mature trees, remained intact while the park was adapted. "The project, which constitutes a yellow brick riverbed path, a watercourse, and an urban space, is designed with the philosophy of adding and subtracting as little as possible," said the studio. "The ambition was to channel cloudburst water through the city in a sensible way, and as the project is located in a valuable cultural environment in Copenhagen, it builds on what is already there to create something new that does not feel alien to the area," it added. Stretching 600 metres between two terraced residential streets, the park is organised around an area of circular wooden decking at its centre, which along with a nearby pavilion serves as a space for informal gatherings. The winding brick pathway cuts lengthwise across the site through the centre of this circle, combining more organic, flowing surfaces with areas of stepped seating.

During heavy rainfall, this sunken path is designed to handle 15,000 cubic metres of rainwater, channeling it through a purifying "trickle meadow" into a newly established rainwater basin.When acting as a river, the park's central channel is still able to be traversed via small bridges. "Besides serving as a new and green urban space, Karens Minde Axis is also used for the transport, storage, and purification of rainwater," said the studio. "The technical water management not only contributes to functionality but also serves as an aesthetic element, literally unifying an area that was previously divided.",,,,,read on