Liu Institute for the Study of Global Issues

Location

6476 North West Marine Dr (UBC)

Vancouver, BC

Canada

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Completion Date
2000
Site/ building area:
1,750 m2
Budget
$3.1 million
Certifications & Awards
  • 2001: Lieutenant Governor's Medal for Excellence in Architecture, Architectural Institute of British Columbia
  • 2001: Innovation Award, Architectural Institute of British Columbia
  • 2001: Award of Merit, Consulting Engineers of British Columbia
  • 1999: Environmental Award Winner, Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia
Project Team
  • Owner: The University of British Columbia
  • Architect: Stantec Architecture (formerly Architectura Planning Architecture Interiors Inc.) in collaboration with Arthur Erickson
  • Structural: Bush, Bohlman & Partners
  • Mechanical: Stantec (formerly Keen Engineering)
  • Electrical: Robert Freundlich & Associates
  • Landscape: Cornelia Hahn Oberlander Landscape Architects
  • Quantity Surveyor: James Bush & Associates
  • Specifications: Alan Scott
  • Material Testing: Levelton Engineering
  • General Contractor: Haebler Construction Ltd
  • Demolition Contractor: Litchfield & Co Ltd

Summary

The Liu Institute for the Study of Global Issues was the second green building to be built at the University of British Columbia's Point Grey Campus. It houses a one-storey seminar wing with conference rooms and reception area and a three-storey research wing with private offices, library and board rooms. The design process involved a daylong 'project alignment' workshop during which the design team identified 60 sustainable targets for the project.

The Liu Institute was designed to be 55% more efficient than the Model National Energy Code. Passive ventilation and cooling, a high-performance building envelope, and energy modeling helped to attain this energy reduction goal. Effective daylight strategies, occupancy sensors and photosensors reduce lighting loads. In order to reduce site disturbance the Liu was built on the footprint of a decommissioned student residence (Pan-Hellenic House) and its former parking lot. Low flow plumbing fixtures reduce water consumption and native plant landscaping eliminates irrigation requirements.


Part of this project included the manual deconstruction of the Pan-Hellenic building. The deconstruction, which was conducted over a six-week period, resulted in 1,263 cubic yards of demolition materials, only 6% of which was sent to landfill. The roof of the seminar wing incorporates heavy timbers salvaged from the Pan-Hellenic House. Bricks used in the Liu's patio were reclaimed from around campus. The building also includes other recycled materials including the first application of high volume fly ash concrete in British Columbia. To reduce the need for finishes the structure was left exposed.

A high quality indoor environment was achieved through a narrow floor plate that facilitates maximum daylight penetration, cross ventilation, and access to views of the surrounding forest. Low-emitting VOC finishing materials and natural ventilation help to create superior indoor air quality. To facilitate passive ventilation perimeter windows were fitted with trickle vents that can be opened and closed to permit fresh outdoor air entry. Manually-controlled hopper windows allow larger air intakes.

A detailed user manual was produced to educate occupants on the green features incorporated into the design. This project showed that low-tech solutions like natural ventilation can be superior to high-tech solutions such as fans and large HVAC systems. This project also demonstrates the importance of designing a building to work with rather than against its existing site. In the case of the Liu Institute the forest setting led to significantly reduced cooling loads.

Tours: Available upon request. Contact the UBC Sustainability Office at 604-827-5641.