The CIRS mandate is to accelerate sustainability in the Vancouver region by bringing people, projects and processes together in new ways.
To start with, we’ve constructed a building at the frontier of sustainable design and operations that will affect future construction in every way. Not only will its impact be minimal, but it will actually be regenerative and improve the surrounding environment.
We’re also developing new partnership models with various stakeholders, to be at the forefront of public policy development in sustainability. We’re identifying areas in which we can have a significant public policy influence, and we’re working with the private, public and not-for-profit sectors to develop policies that promote sustainability.
Finally, CIRS is creating innovative processes to reach out to the community and collaborate with members to learn about sustainability and how it applies to their lives. We are working with non-profits, community groups and businesses to develop new programs and mutual learning opportunities for diverse audiences.
CIRS is at the cutting edge of sustainable building design and operations, sustainability-focused partnerships and the development of interactive community engagement processes. No other centre in the world is combining all three activities under one umbrella, making CIRS a true leader in sustainability.
Living laboratory
CIRS is a state-of-the-art ‘living laboratory’ in which to conduct research and assessment activities for high-performance building systems and technologies. The building itself is both their subject and their lab.
In this sense, CIRS is used as a platform to test and showcase the technical performance and usability characteristics of the building’s technologies and systems, and to generate new knowledge about how to construct and maintain sustainable buildings.
Agent of change
CIRS activities have a regional focus and a global reach. Located on the UBC campus in Vancouver, British Columbia, CIRS is a hub of excellence around green design and building operations practices. We bring thought leaders from UBC and our region together to create and test solutions that work at home, and then share our experiences and knowledge with the public and professionals from across our province and around the world. A typical day at CIRS generates many interesting conversations and ideas.
Documenting our activities and communicating our lessons and successes are priorities at CIRS.
We use this website as our primary communication vehicle, showcasing the building design and construction process and the exciting research underway at CIRS. Through this website we aim to build a community of professional and interested people who can connect, share ideas and further accelerate sustainability.
We also connect with individuals face-to-face as much as possible through symposiums, workshops, building tours and other events held in the interactive spaces at CIRS.
