Citation
(2010), "UBC develops North America’s greenest building", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 11 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijshe.2010.24911cab.001
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2010, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
UBC develops North America’s greenest building
Article Type: News From: International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Volume 11, Issue 3
The University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada has completed the development of the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability, a building which should provide some valuable inspiration. The C$37-million building will be greenhouse gas-positive and a net energy producer, meaning that it will help UBC reduce the energy it uses and carbon it emits. All water will be sourced from rainwater, with wastewater treatment occurring on site. There is also more carbon sequestered in the building’s wooden structure than will be emitted during its construction and eventual dismantling. Not only does the UBC-based centre aim to be among the greenest buildings in North America, it will also serve as a living laboratory for sustainability research, development and practice. For example, building processes will be continuously monitored, including heating, cooling, lighting, equipment use, water harvesting and treatment, building occupancy, inhabitant behaviour and more. People working in the facility will be able to follow the proceedings on their desktop computers and vote on their usefulness.