By Linda Mason Hunter

© 2007 Linda Mason Hunter.  May not be reprinted without written permission of the author.

In early November I had the good fortune to tour the Life Sciences Institute on the campus of the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada. This stunning 510,000 square foot, five-story building is the largest structure in Canada certified gold by the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Environmental Design) program. Completed in 2004, the structure was built and designed in only two years, utilizing recycled materials and recapturing 80% of construction waste.

The structure meets and exceeds challenging goals: it’s 25% more energy efficient than other buildings its size; water consumption is cut in half, and (thanks to the aid of recycling stations throughout the building) 90% of generated waste is recycled.

What struck me during the tour was the building’s simplicity, proving once again that green building needn’t be technologically complex. Simplicity, in fact, is usually the most sustainable choice.

Several features stand out in my mind. All south-facing windows, for example, are recessed 15 inches instead of being flush with the exterior. This simple technique permits daylight to fill the entire envelope while shading rooms immediately adjacent to the exterior wall, thus eliminating both the glare and intense heat of southern exposure. Another accommodating innovation is the presence of dual-flush toilets. Two buttons on top of the tank allow you to choose how much water to use—2 1/2 gallons for double flush, one gallon for low flush (depending on what you’re flushing). A conventional toilet uses more than three gallons of water with every flush.

Where a conventional building of this size requires 1,000 parking spaces, none were added for this huge research facility. Instead, riding the bus and bicycling to campus is encouraged. An ample supply of bicycle racks is conveniently positioned outside each entrance, and restrooms come equipped with showers so people can bike to work/school, shower, change clothes, and spend the day feeling fresh.

All lights operate on a sensor system, remaining on when needed and off when no one’s about. Low-VOC paint covers interior walls, and carpets are either glued with toxin-free adhesives or stapled to the floor. Operable windows allow tenants to adjust the climate in their specific areas to suit individual preferences. Landscaping with native plants requires no artificial irrigation.

The Life Sciences Institute and the UBC campus in general point the way to a more sustainable future for all of us. UBC has Canada’s first Sustainability Policy for a university and is the only Canadian university to gain Green Campus recognition from the U.S. Wildlife Federation. The campus has already met 2012 Kyoto greenhouse gas reductions, and saved $11 million in energy and water costs with innovative retrofits.

For more information about the architecture of the Life Sciences Institute, go to www.rjc.ca/cms/page1219.cfm.