Site placement, details and modest technologies deliver bright, energy-efficient interior

The slot window on the south side illuminates a work counter

by Paul Dowling

A 640sf studio, an outbuilding for an existing residence in southern Ontario, opens to an intimate grouping of shaded residential gardens. With limited means, the modest project uses control of natural light, simple details, and off-the-shelf mechanical systems to create a pleasing, efficient work space. (more…)

Integrated design meets challenges of tight site and fast-track schedule at University of British Columbia

Interconnected floor space creates a secondary atrium for natural ventilation. Interior millwork is formaldehyde-free MDF

by Geoff McDonell

Completed in June 2005, the five-storey, 8,744 sq.m Fred Kaiser Building houses expanded facilities for the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and the offices of the Dean of Applied Science. Nearly 700 faculty, researchers, staff and students are accommodated in the flexible laboratory spaces, classrooms, seminar rooms and offices. (more…)

Addition combines passive and technical environmental performance

Visible structure is part of a learning centred approach to design, and supports environmental goals by eliminating finishing materials.

by Loghman Azar

The Applied Computing and Engineering Sciences (ACES) building is a 50,000 s.f. addition to an existing 1960s building, in which the highly visible sustainable components and systems are part of a new ‘learning-centred’ approach to educational facility design. (more…)

West Elevation

by Vladimir Mikler and Christy Love

A building’s form and interaction with the local climate are critical to its overall environmental performance. Climate adapted buildings optimize the performance of “passive” building elements and employ smaller, more efficient “active” mechanical systems merely to complement what the building architecture cannot achieve on its own. (more…)

Concrete Embodied Energy

by Tom Schwarzkopf

Durable, solid, and strong are adjectives that spring to mind when one thinks of concrete - all qualities important in the creation of sustainable buildings. However, these qualities have traditionally come at a price: environmental degradation caused by materials extraction, high energy use and high greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during the production process. (more…)