_CIRS

The Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) is North America’s most innovative high-performance building – and it is on the University of British Columbia (UBC) campus in Vancouver, Canada.

CIRS demonstrates how a building can be regenerative by improving its environment and the community it serves, with . . .

landscaped areas delivering stormwater to an underground well and eventually to the aquifer 90 metres below;

a solar acquatics wastewater treatment facility;

an auditorium that is mostly naturally-lit with a reclaimed wood ceiling;

the living wall (refer first photo. showing its early growth);

a living roof above the auditorium;

the use of recycled wood with its sequestration of carbon dioxide emissions;

solar photovoltaic (pv) panels and central natural light atrium;

and a site orientation to optimise exposure to natural light and thus minimise the need for artificial illumination, among many other attributes.