Net-Positive Design: Creating Regenerative Buildings and Communities

Net-Positive

Design:

Creating

Regenerative

Buildings and

Communities

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Acknowledgements/Credits

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The greenest building is one that doesn't need to be built at all. Unfortunately, such an approach is nearly impossible in today’s growing society. So how do architects address the fact that each building they design, no matter how green, has some sort of environmental impact? The only way is to create structures that give back as much as they take.

Regenerative-design buildings go beyond typical green design and construction by seeking to achieve a net-positive impact on both ecological integrity and human well-being. Architects take a full systems approach to design that considers raw materials, cyclical operations, health, and building inhabitant usage. Net-positive performance can be achieved by spilling over to the community the benefits derived at regenerative buildings, which may, for example, sequester more carbon than is emitted by the production, transportation, and installation of building materials; harvesting more energy than is taken from the grid; harvesting and purifying all water needed for potable use and treating/recycling all liquid waste; operating carbon-free; and designing interiors that improve human health, deliver ample day-lighting and natural ventilation, and provide flexibility of use and adaptation for future goals.

Course Description

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• Understand the core principles of

regenerative design and its importance to

future buildings.

• Be able to incorporate regenerative concepts

into current and future building designs.

• Understand how regenerative principles are

impacting real-time operations at the CIRS

building at the University of British Columbia.

Course Objectives

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Where are we?

• Regenerate

• Improve

• Maintain

• Operate

• Stabilize

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Where are we today?

• Regenerate

• Improve

• Maintain

• Operate

• Stabilize

Potential for improvement (co-evolution)

Existence (no further harm)

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Warming of the climate system

is unequivocal, and since the

1950s, many of the observed

changes are unprecedented

over decades to millennia. The

atmosphere and ocean have

warmed, the amounts of snow

and ice have diminished, sea

level has risen, and the

concentrations of greenhouse

gases have increased.

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LEED

SilverGold

Platinum

Living Building

Regenerative

Building Performance

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Regenerative Design

Transition from Standard to Regenerative Design: a. Van der Ryn (2005); b. Reed (2006)

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Trajectory of Design as a Practice, extrapolated from Bill Reed

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• A building by itself cannot be regenerative, rather it

is about the evolution of relationships between

place and program

What is Regenerative Design?

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• It’s about ASKING the right questions to get a different solution

• It is not focused conservation and reduction, but asks:

• how can we do MORE with what we have?

• how can we get the MOST out of the resources we use while achieving maximum benefits for both humans and the environment?

• What is the RELATIONSHIPbetween the program and place?

Regenerative Design Framework

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• Systems thinking

• Co-evolution for mutual health benefits

• Site and context specificity

• Optimum efficiency

Key Characteristics

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Systems Thinking The site is part of a larger system of systems and actions at one scale can have profound impacts across scales and sites. one scale can have profound impacts across scales and sites.

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• Compact: Home to 30,000

• Complete: Live-work-play-learn

• Carbon neutral: 100% renewable

energy

• Significantly reduced ecological

footprint

• Many sustainable lifestyle choices

Westwood

Prince Rupert

Spruce Avenue

Kingsway Mall

YHT

NAIT

Agrihood

Town Centre

Technology & Research

Blatchford Redevelopment Edmonton, AlbertaGlobal model for sustainable city-building

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Residences with direct Park Access“We spent the 20th century protecting nature from people,

and we will spend the 21st century protecting nature for people.”

Glenn Prickett

Park areas

2,000 People within 5 minutes walk of a park

28,000 People within 2 minutes walk of a park

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Connect with Nature

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• Development has high impacts on the health of both human and nature.

• A regenerative project becomes a source of health for both human and ecological systems.

Co-evolution for mutual health benefits

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“[we] come from nature.…There is an importance to [having] a certain reverence for what nature is because we are connected to it... If we destroy nature, we destroy ourselves.” – Edward Burtynsky

Photograph: Nickel Tailings Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, 1996

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The Vale: Living with Lakes Research CentreSudbury, Ontario

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The Vale: Living with Lakes Research Centre

Sudbury, Ontario

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Site and Context Specificity • The site is a complex and dynamic system of systems where the

distinct characteristics that distinguish each site drive design decisions.

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VanDusen Botanical Garden Visitor CentreVancouver, BC

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Meadows

ForestPonds and Wetlands

Ecological Systems Mapping

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Ecological Systems Mapping: Meadows

Meadows

ForestPonds and Wetlands

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Ecological Systems Mapping: Water

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Ecological Systems Mapping: Forests

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• Abundance and vitality are created by aggregating and not isolating.• Achieving optimum conditions for the function of multiple conditions

[rather than seeking maximum efficiency for individual parts].

Optimum Efficiency

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• Academic Building

• LEED Platinum Certified

• Pursuing Living Building Challenge

Recognition

• Gross Area: 5,675 m² (61,085 ft²)

• Total Project Budget: $36,000,000

• Construction Budget : $24,000,000

• Substantial Completion: Aug 31, 2011

The CIRS Building

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• Two campuses: Vancouver and Kelowna

• 25 faculties, 5 affiliated hospitals

• 5,000 faculty members (2,200 clinical)

• 47,000 undergraduates (15% international) 9,000 graduate students (20% international)

• Ranked 25th worldwide1

• Research leader in Canada2 (Science & Engineering. Social sciences & Humanities) $500 million/year

• Global leader in clean energy, forestry, sustainable development, health research, and Asian studies

• Commercialization leader in Canada

• Small “city” of 75,000 occupying an area of 1,000 acres with more than 400 buildings

1 Times Higher Education Reputation Rankings, London, UK – 2012 (17,554 respondents from 137 countries) 2 Higher Education Strategy Associates, Toronto, Canada – 2012

The University of British Columbia

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1962

1966

1968

1972

1972

1973

1969

Sustainability of Limits

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Regenerative Sustainability

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Environmental Integrity

• Energy

• Water

• Structural Carbon

• Operational Carbon

Human Well-being

• Health

• Happiness

• Productivity

Net-Positive Performance

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• Sustainability showcase

• Building infrastructure = research

• “Process” vs. “product”

• Modular construction

• Flexibility/adaptability

• Plug-and-play

Living Laboratory

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Tonnes o

f C

O2

Concrete

Glass

Aluminum

Brick

Wood

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10:19 AM

Rainwater harvested on north,

south and west roofs

Potable water treatment

system

Rainwater collected on living roof and landscape

areas

Local aquifer

Potable Water (faucets, showers, dishwashers)

Treated Wastewater (toilets, urinals, irrigation)

Solar Aquatics wastewater treatment plant

90,000LTank

Sub-surface Landscape irrigation

Municipal potable water

supply (back up)

Municipal sewer

(back up)

Raw sewage (from other buildings)

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Occupant:

Passive recipient

of building

systems

Inhabitant:

Engaged, with a

sense of place

Benefits/Opportunities

• Fresh air

• Day-lighting

• Acoustics

• Food & social spaces

• Feedback

• Control

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Sustainable Food Services

Community Fabric

Large Day-lit Learning Spaces Hub for Water & Energy Services

Urban Design & Sustainability Features

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CIRS

Time

Su

sta

ina

bilit

y M

etr

ics

Project

A

Regenerative Sustainability

Living Building Challenge

Passivhaus (Austria/Germany)

Minergie (Switzerland)

UBC Standard – LEED Gold

Market Reference

Sustainability “Gradient”

Project

B

Project

C

Project

D

Project

E

Campus Sustainability “Gradient”

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CIRS

EOS

HORTICULTURE

ORCHARD COMMONS

FRANK FORWARDUSB

C&CP

Sustainability Street Industrial Ecology Pilot

Low-grade Heat

High-grade Heat

Storm-water Runoff

Reclaimed Water

Raw Sewage

Food Production (trees and shrubs)

Infiltration Well

(deep)

Raw Sewage Sump

& Solar Aquatics

WWTP

Heat Pumps

Infiltration Well

(shallow)

ESB WATER

FEATURE

Sustainability Street rea

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To be an internationally

recognized leader in

accelerating the

adoption of sustainable

building and urban development practices.

CIRS Vision

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To accelerate the adoption of more sustainable

practices in society by bringing the fruits of the

CIRS research into the public, private and civil

society decision-making arenas ………

…….through the implementation of partnerships

that demonstrate, replicate, disseminate and

commercialize sustainable products, systems,

practices, processes and technologies.

CIRS Mission

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Build

ing

Neig

hbourh

ood

Work

pla

ce

Psychology

Collaborative for Advanced

Landscape Planning (CALP)

SALA Elements Lab

Institute for Social

Innovation & Sustainability

(ISIS)

Acoustics & Noise

Research Group (ANRG)

Behavioural Socio-Political

LCA Alliance

SBSP

Technical

CIRS Multi-disciplinary Research

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Are we ready for this regenerative design journey?

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Kathy Wardle, Associate Principal + Director of

Research Perkins+Will

Kathy.wardle@perkinswill.com

Alberto Cayuela, Director of Operations and

Business Development

Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability

The University of British Columbia

Alberto.cayuela@ubc.ca

www.cirs.ubc.ca

Contact Information