CIRS on the Web

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Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability
Accelerating Sustainability John Robinson
Project Leader, SDRI, UBC Support from CFI,
BCKDF and Industry
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The Sustainable Development Imperative
10 challenges Clean air Housing
Clean water Jobs Energy Health care
Land use Waste disposal Transportation
Human Security
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The CIRS Opportunity

• To make Canada a world leader in three
  interconnected fields of applied sustainability
• Part 1 - building design and operations
• Part 2 - visualization, simulation and community
  engagement
• Part 3 - partnerships and strategies of regional
  implementation

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The Three Dimensions of CIRS

1. Building as Laboratory
2. Simulation and Visualization
3. BC Showcase

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CIRS Sustainability Dimensions The Building as
Laboratory

• Health and Well-being
• Daylighting for productivity
• Indoor outdoor oxygenation
• Healthy design

• Energy
• GHG neutral
• Net energy generator
• No mechanical cooling
• Simple, passive design
• Very low embodied energy
• 100 daylighting

• Operations and Maintenance
• Integrated design and maintenance
• Sustainable Community
• TDM planning
• Community education programs
• Local employment
• Widespread dissemination
• Support native fauna

• Water
• No external water supply
• On-site treatment of all liquid waste
• No stormwater run-off from site
• Resource Efficiency
• No solid waste leaving site
• Maximize building utilization
• Sustainable building materials

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Showcasing Sustainable Development in BC

• Identify handful of areas of comparative
  advantage in SD in BC
• Create new forms of partnership to make them
  happen on the ground in this region create
  Showcase
• Use Showcase as springboard for penetrating
  global market in SD technology and services

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Benefits to Canada
CIRS has potential
to contribute to increased economic activity, Build sustainable building industry in region Export knowledge interactive software
help Canadian industry increase competitiveness, and Test building industry products Demonstrate sustainable technologies Identify regional comparative advantage in sustainability
lead to improvement to society, quality of life, health, and environment Assess human/social dimensions of technology and its performance Contribute directly to policy development for sustainability Engage civil society in thinking through policy behavioural choices
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The Outcomes

• World leadership in three critical areas of
  sustainability research
• Technology, behaviour, and policy/investment
• Real progress on sustainability in the region
• Create sustainability precinct in Vancouver
• Enormous export potential
• Incubator for entering a trillion dollar market