This living laboratory demonstrates the University of British Columbia's commitment to leadership in sustainability through research and innovation. See more ideas about Sustainable technology, Passive design, Design strategy. Interior partitions on the upper floors are from a Haworth system. Perkins+Will designed UBC’s Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability to communicate net positive building strategies. The Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS), one of the flagship projects of the CLL initiative, is being studied to explore the role of buildings in maintaining environmental integrity and human well-being. Inside are offices for various academic departments devoted to the study of sustainable principles, in the built environment and otherwise. It looks like a greenhouse, too—since the various treatment tanks use plants to aid the biofiltration process throughout the year. Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability. In addition to academic offices, meeting rooms, and social spaces, CIRS includes indoor environmental quality and building simulation software labs; a Group Decision Theatre that has advanced interaction technologies to engage audiences in sustainability and climate change scenarios; a building management system that shares building performance in real-time; and a café that uses no disposable packaging and serves local, organic food. Photograph by Martin Tessler Commendation for. The architect is Peter Busby, FRAIC, of Perkins + Will, a global architecture firm with offices in Canada. CIRS is a state-of-the-art "living-lab". ... Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability. The 61,085-square-foot, $23 million (CAD) structure sits on an infill site just west of the campus’s Main Mall, edging a new landscaped “Sustainability Street” cross-axis. They’re movable and are already being used in several configurations. ... University of British Columbia Properties Trust, Perkins + Will. Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability / Perkins + Will. “John Robinson thought the building would have to be green and curvy,” Perkins+Will principal Martin Nielsen says, but Busby notes that that wasn’t the way to go. Vancouver, BC. Located at the University of British Columbia, the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) is designed to be the most sustainable building in North America. A similar strategy is used at the Perkins+Will-designed Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability at the University of British Columbia but that building is in a different jurisdiction. AIA, boils his architectural response down to three elements: “It’s all about air quality, light, and wood.”. The Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability was established to accelerate sustainability by quickly finding effective solutions to the challenges of urban development. University of British Columbia Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability Accelerating the uptake of green building practices With a vision to be the greenest building in North America, the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability – from the get go – was essentially a research experiment. "People don’t want to think of wastewater," Robinson says, "but this treatment plant smells like a greenhouse." Designed to be a living lab, it features sustainability initiatives that, at the time, had never been seen before in an urban setting. It’s not FSC certified since the forests can’t be replanted immediately, but “we’re using it before it decays,” Robinson says, which would release the sequestered carbon back into the environment. Conceived by Nobel laureate (IPCC, 2008) John Robinson, the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) was designed to be the most sustainable building … What Does the Adverse Market Fee Mean for the Housing Industry? Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability For more information see iisbecanada.ca/sb-14 The construction costs for this project were $6,706/m2 while a reference green building LEED equivalent of the same would be $3,390/m2. UBC Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS). In addition to following the high standards of both Canada Green Building Council and the International Living Future Institute, the team developed its own agenda for making the building as “regenerative” as possible. The journal of the American Institute of Architects, The Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability, Restore Oakland, by Designing Justice + Designing Spaces, Explore Steven Holl Architects’ New Winter Visual Arts Center, Winter Visual Arts Center, by Steven Holl Architects, The Surprisingly Clear Advantage of the $124M Quad, Schmidt Hammer Lassen and Hawkins\Brown Will Design the University of Bristol's New Library, Core Materials: Better Concrete, Better Steel. Commendation for. There are 5 billion liters of rainwater that fall on the UBC campus each year and, on average, the campus uses only 3.89 billion liters of water in that same time period. "The water is cleaner when it leaves the facility than when it enters as rain," Robinson says. Architects: Perkins+Will Canada University Of British Columbia Wood Architecture Post And Beam Earth Science Wood Construction Green Building Design Projects Vancouver Sustainability "That’s net-positive in both water and quality.". Rainwater is collected and treated for potable use within the building. The facility was opened in November 2011. Perkins+Will managing director Peter Busby, Intl. The wood sequesters 600 tons of carbon compared to the 525 tons of carbon needed to create the building and its finishes. PROJECT DESCRIPTION. The Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) is a 5,800m2building on the campus of The University of British Columbia (Figure 1) that was designed to operate at the frontier of sustainable performance in both environmental and human terms, and serve as a living laboratory of, and research test-bed for, sustainable practice over its lifetime. The Centre for Interactive Research in Sustainability (CIRS) is a living lab at the University of British Columbia. “The building was designed to be ‘net-positive’ in seven different ways—four environmental and three human,” Robinson says. The actual water use of 6.12 m3/occupant/year was above the predicted 4.43 m3/occupant/year since the building was not entirely occupied. Architect Magazine: Architectural Design | Architecture Online:  The premier site for architecture industry news & building resources for architects and architecture industry professionals. How Architects Can Transition to Buildings... Hitler’s Building Plans for a World Under... Moody Nolan Wins 2021 AIA Architecture... Marvel Architects Expands Practice Focus and Name, MoMA Opens 'Broken Nature' Exhibition in Its Street-Level Galleries, USGBC Names Winners of Its 2020 Leadership Awards, EarthCam Announces Expanded Autodesk Partnership, AIA Report Examines Challenges for Architects Fighting Climate Change, Architecture 2030's Open Letter to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Calls for Revised Carbon Emission Reduction Targets, Layer App's New Drawing View Connects PDF Markups to Revit, How Increased Work-From-Home Opportunities Benefit the Housing Market, Gift Guide 2020: Sparks of Joy for Architects and Designers. The University of British Columbia has opened the most sustainable building in North America, a $37 million 'living laboratory' that will help to regenerate the environment and advance research and innovation on global sustainability challenges. CIRS was conceived as a building in which to push the envelope of sustainable design by integrating passive design strategies with innovative sustainable technologies. Wood was chosen as the primary building material to help meet that goal. “We won’t do it if it doesn’t empower or motivate,” Robinson says. The Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) serves as both a hub for sustainability work on campus, as well as a sustainable building research subject. When a client has that broad of a portfolio, good things can happen. With a vision to be the greenest building in North America, the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability – from the get go – was essentially a research experiment. The 5,675 sm ‘living lab’ is organized into two four-storey wings, linked by an atrium that serves as a building lobby, entry to a daylit 450-seat auditorium, and ‘social condenser’ space. Site Plan Conceived by Nobel laureate (IPCC, 2008) John Robinson, the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) was designed to be the most sustainable building in North America upon completion. Natural daylight pours through every space in the building, even the fire stairs. The Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability exists to create a more sustainable built environment, and the building itself is an extension of that research. Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability – UBC Architectural / Interior Design. UBC Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability. It’s not such a reach considering British Columbia’s climate. Exceeding LEED Platinum status, Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) was designed to put sustainable systems on display and act as a “living laboratory” and catalyst of change where students, researchers and partners test and demonstrate designs and technologies to advance our understanding of sustainable building and community practices. A remarkable example of this approach is the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability or CIRS, erected at the University of British Columbia UBC in Vancouver, Canada, a project by Perkins … And the leadership of CIRS shows no interest in slowing down. The four-story structure is framed in wood (with a concrete foundation and basement), not just for its aesthetic but also to help the building be net-positive for carbon. A product of forests that have been infested with pine beetles, the wood has a bluish tone—and a nice irregular finish left by the parasites. Located on a dense site at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, CIRS houses researchers from private, public, and non-government organization sectors, who work together to advance innovation in sustainable technology and building practices, and to create a springboard for their widespread implementation. The four-storey U … Client University of British Columbia Sustainability Initiative Architect Perkins+Will Structural Engineer Fast + Epp Mechanical and Electrical Engineer Stantec The Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability is an internationally recognized research institution whose mission is to accelerate the adoption of sustainable building and urban development practices. The client’s goal was for the building to be energy “net positive” and lead the way in accelerating sustainable building technologies. The University of British Columbia (UBC) sits atop a hill at the westernmost tip of Vancouver. “It needs to be plug and play.” This allows for future study of building systems and deployment that can be implemented farther afield as the campus’s larger sustainable initiatives become a reality. But Perkins+Will’s new Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS), which opened last August, tries to narrow that gap. Designed by the architecture firm Perkins+Will, CIRS is a living laboratory where students, researchers and partners test and demonstrate designs and […] The system’s 10,000-liter-per-day wastewater system capacity is far greater than the 7,473 liters of treated wastewater used per day by the building operations. Products Used. Organized on a courtyard plan that is open at the east end, the building features a 450-seat auditorium filling its center on the ground level. The west side of the building is inflected to fill the site with a series of sawtooth vegetated screens, and an existing path is maintained to create a covered accessible entrance while separating the wastewater-reclamation area. NAHB: 'Housing Takes the Lead in Lifting the Nation Out of the Downturn', New GROHE Showerhead Offers Remote Spray Control, 2021 Is Expected to Be Another Good Year for Housing, RRI: Remodeling Market Remains Strong, But Economic Uncertainty Looms in 2021, NKBA Anticipates Larger Kitchens and Bathrooms, Strong COVID-19 Influence in Design Trends Report, Regal Brands Introduces Italian-Inspired Viaggio Hardware, House Plans for View Lots from Visbeen Architects, House Plans with 3 Beds and 2 Baths from Don Gardner, Stylish Retirement House Plans from Dan Sater. "We can get 100 percent of our water from the rain," Robinson says. Recognizing the VanDusen Botanical Garden Visitor Centre and the University of British Columbia’s Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) and Earth Sciences Building (ESB) projects, the awards are a testament to Perkins+Will’s position as a bold leader in wood design today. Furthermore, researchers study user interactions with the facility to improve building performance and maximize inhabitant health and well-being. Project  The Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Client  The University of British Columbia Architect  Perkins+Will, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada—Peter Busby, Intl. Assoc. Robinson notes how unusual it is for CIRS to put wastewater treatment on display. Dec 8, 2014 - Image 3 of 19 from gallery of Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability / Perkins + Will. But the excess capacity (and the funneling of extra potable water to the rest of campus) speaks to a larger goal that UBC Sustainability Initiative executive director John Robinson has for the university—net-zero water for the entire campus. The lecture hall is daylit too, an unusual design feature that Busby tries to use in many of his buildings. 2014 AWARD-WINNING PROJECT: Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability, Vancouver. As part of CIRS’s research initiative, UBC’s psychology department is studying the effects of daylight on the hall’s occupants. But there is one particular wood that may actually keep CIRS from fully meeting the Living Building Challenge: Busby and Robinson decided to use so-called “denim wood” on the exposed structural decking. Located on the southwest corner of the building, the plant is glazed on three sides—part of CIRS’s mission to expose as much of its workings as possible. Peter Busby of Perkins + Will designed the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS), which was completed in 2011 at the University of British Columbia. Assoc. Offices are located in the north and south wings of the building, linked by the full-height Commons at the west. The Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability has been awarded LEED Platinum certification, the highest designation in green building performance from the LEED rating system and the first for the University of British Columbia. The Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) at the University of British Columbia (UBC) was completed in 2011. The campus’s natural beauty is an inspiration, even while its built surroundings fall well short of the mark. These are: net-positive energy; structural carbon neutrality; operational carbon; net-zero water; turning passive occupants into active inhabitants; promoting health and productivity; and promoting happiness. He’s also a professor at the school’s Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability, as well as a professor in the department of geography. The key to CIRS’s net-zero water strategy lies in a ground-floor wastewater-treatment plant that’s clearly visible to building visitors and passersby from the general public. There’s hardly a feature of the building—or its operation—that isn’t in some ways experimental. The Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) is the the first facility of its kind in North America, allowing UBC to take a leadership role in the development and deployment of integrated sustainable building technologies and practices. CIRS is an internationally recognized research institution that accelerates the adoption of sustainable building technologies and sustainable urban development practices in society. RAIC will present the award -- in collaboration with the Alberta Association of Architects -- during the RAIC Festival of Architecture on June 3 to 6 in Calgary. Perkins + Will Architecture. Busby notes that the wood structural members are bolted together—so the structure could, in theory, be dismantled and reused. This Centre is a hub for sustainability at UBC, containing offices and labs, a 425-seat auditorium, meeting rooms, a cafe, and open spaces for studying and socializing. Education or Healthcare Structures - 2012. CIRS expects to achieve LEED-NC Platinum status while striving for the much more difficult Living Building Challenge (only three buildings have, as yet, been awarded this honor). ARCHITECT contributing editor Edward Keegan, AIA, is a Chicago architect who practices, writes, broadcasts, and teaches on architectural subjects. The Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) is located at the University of British Columbia's (UBC) Point Grey Campus in Vancouver. It was designed by Perkins+Will architects and UBC in a partenrship. Designed to exceed LEED Platinum, the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) is one of the most innovative and high performance buildings in North America today, demonstrating leading-edge green building design products, technologies, and systems. Image 19 of 19 from gallery of Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability / Perkins + Will. All wastewater moves through a solar aquatics biofiltration system before being fed back into the building for toilet flushing and landscape irrigation. The Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) at the University of British Columbia accelerates the adoption of sustainable building technologies and urban development practices. Developed in three different iterations at different sites over twelve years, CIRS is a testament to a strong vision and the architect-client partnership that championed the project since its inception. The building is dedicated to research collaboration and outreach on urban sustainability. UBC Sustainability Initiative executive director John Robinson (whose office is in CIRS) was the key partner in developing the plans for the center. The Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability is UBC’s first LEED Platinum certified building, a “living laboratory” that will help to advance research and innovation on global sustainability challenges. Wood Specification: Indoor Air Quality (Low-emitting Materials) What to Ask Suppliers • Early on in the planning phase, ask about the Office windows are shaded by a screen that incorporates photovoltaics while the west façade’s glazing is screened using a vegetative wall with deciduous vines that allow the winter sun to enter the building’s common spaces while shading them during the summer months. Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS), UBC Architect: Perkins+Will Canada Architects Co. Photo: Don Erhardt. Text description provided by the architects. The wood structure is exposed on the interior, and its expression continues with exterior panels made of a three-ply, cross-laminated cedar. Mar 14, 2013 - Image 19 of 19 from gallery of Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability / Perkins + Will. AIA (managing director); Blair McCarry, Martin Nielsen, Z Smith, AIA (principals); Maginnis Cocivera, Sebastien Garon (architects); Brian Gasmena, Jörk Grävenstein, Horace Lai (intern architects) Mechanical Engineer  Fast + Epp Structural and Electrical Engineer  Stantec Civil Engineer  Core Group Consultants Geotechnical Engineer  Trow Associates Construction Manager  Heatherbrae Construction Landscape Architect  PWL Partnership Building Code  LMDG Building Code Consultants Acoustics Consultant  BKL Consultants Building Envelope  Morrison Hershfield Water Consultants  Eco-Tek Ecological Technologies, NovaTec Consultants Size  61,085 square feet Cost  $23 million (CAD), Building-Management Systems and Services  Honeywell honeywell.com Carpet  Bentley Prince Street bentleyprincestreet.com Ceilings  CGC cgcinc.com Exterior Wall Systems  Silva Panel Canada silvapanel.com Flooring  Camino Modular Systems caminomodular.com Furniture and Walls  Haworth haworth.comGlass  PFG Glass Industries pfgglass.com Insulation  Roxul roxul.com Masonry and Stone  Basalite Concrete Products basalite.com Millwork  Heatherbrae Builders heatherbrae.com Paints and Finishes  General Paint generalpaint.com Photovoltaics  Solarity Industries solarity.ca Roofing  Firestone Building Products www.firestonebpco.comSeating  American Seating Co. americanseating.com Site and Landscape Products  Greenscreen greenscreen.com Water  Eco-Tek Ecological Technologies ecotek.ca; NovaTec Consultants novatec.ca Windows, Curtainwalls, and Doors  Kawneer kawneer.com, Perkins+Will PortfolioVanDusen Botanical Garden Visitor CentreEnergy.Environment.Experiential Learning  The Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability  Studio Visit: Perkins +Will. At the north end of the building, mostly hidden from view, is the portion of the building that houses the mechanical room. FF-01 GLASS MOUNTED HANDRAIL BRACKET FF-02 WALL MOUNTED HANDRAIL BRACKET The Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) at the University of British Columbia (UBC) campus in Vancouver is one of the greenest buildings in North America. But Perkins+Will’s new Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS), which opened last August, tries to narrow that gap. Conceived by Nobel laureate (IPCC, 2008) John Robinson, the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) was designed to … Jan 10, 2015 - The Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS), University of British Columbia by Perkins & Will. It was officially opened in November 2011. Upper floors overlook a green roof atop the auditorium space. The treated water that is not used is currently fed back to the sewer line (health concerns by the approving authority prevent UBC from releasing treated blackwater back into the ground). 1 of 2 Among the recent buildings designed by Peter Busby of Perkins + Will is the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability at the University of … Site Plan CIRS wears its sustainable initiatives proudly, but it’s hardly an “edgy” building, despite its experimental processes. The 61,085-square-foot, $23 million (CAD) structure sits on an infill site just west of the campus’s Main Mall, edging a new landscaped “Sustainability Street” cross-axis.