C. K. Choi Building

C.K. Choi Building
C. K. Choi Building, street facade, c.2010
UBC Campus, Vancouver, BC, Canada
General information
Type	University Office Building
Location	1855 West Mall, UBC, Vancouver, Canada
Coordinates	49°16′02″N123°15′30″W / 49.267132°N 123.258405°W / 49.267132; -123.258405
Current tenants	Institute of Asian Research
Completed	1996
Owner	University of British Columbia
Technical details
Floor count	3 storeys
Floor area	34,400 sq.ft.
Design and construction
Architecture firm	Matsuzaki Wright Architects
Website
www.iar.ubc.ca

The C. K. Choi Building is an educational building on the campus of the University of British Columbia (UBC) known for its sustainable design features. ^{[1] [2] [3]} Named for businessman and philanthropist Dr. Cheung-Kok Choi, ^{[4] [5]} the building houses UBC's Institute of Asian Research. The architecture of the building implements Asian motifs. ^{[6] [7] [8] [9]}

Institute of Asian Research

Main article: Institute of Asian Research

The Institute of Asian Research, headquartered in the C. K. Choi building, is a research institute founded in 1978 as a major Canadian research centre for Asia.

Design team

C.K. Choi Memorial Bell at the building's south plaza

• Architects + Sustainability: Matsuzaki Wright ^[7]
• Landscape Architects: Cornelia Hahn Oberlander
• Structural Engineers: Read Jones Christoffersen
• Mechanical Engineers: Keen Engineering Co. Ltd. (now Stantec)
• Electrical Engineers: Robert Freundlich & Associates Ltd.
• Owner: University of British Columbia, Freda Pagani, Campus Planning and Development
• Owner's Sustainability Advisor: Bob Berkebile, BNIM

Sustainable features

West elevation and preserved stand of evergreen trees providing afternoon shade

Graywater trench around the building

The C. K. Choi building was designed to be sustainable and energy-efficient. ^{[10] [11]} Its sustainable features include:

• Location: built on an existing parking lot surrounded by large trees to reduce heat gain
• Form: narrow profile to minimize site impact and provide natural light inside
• Recycling: approximately 50% of building materials were recycled or re-used
• Sanitation: composting toilets were initially used, ^[12] but were removed when the compost was found to be detrimental to the environment
• Stormwater: the building's gutters collect water in a tank for irrigation purposes ^[13]
• Energy: sensors turn off lights when not in use, heavy use of insulation preserves indoor temperature, steam vault utilizes waste heat
• Finishes: most interior surfaces use minimal material, such as unpainted metal and a lack of suspended ceilings
• Air quality: carpet adhesives and solvent finishes were not used in construction, to minimize air pollution
• Ventilation: ventilation is non-mechanical and provides fresh air from windows
• Heat: surplus heat radiating into the ground is collected and utilized
• Electricity: uses only surplus electricity from adjacent buildings ^[8]

Exposed structure and minimal use of applied interior finishes can be seen

Awards

• 1996 BC Hydro Energy Smart Award ^[14]
• 1996 British Columbia Earth Award, Building Owners and Managers Association ^[15]
• 1997 Building Award of Excellence, Consulting Engineers of British Columbia ^[16]
• 1998 List of Canadian awards, Architectural Institute of British Columbia
• 1998 Award for Innovation Excellence, Architectural Institute of British Columbia (Matsuzaki Wright Architects Inc.) ^[14]
• 2000 Earth Day 2000 Top Ten Award, American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment ^[17]

References

1. "UBC press release 1996-10-06". Archived from the original on 4 April 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
2. "Cascadia Building Council" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 October 2007. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
3. Cole and Steiger, p.7
4. IAR In Memoriam Archived 14 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine
5. "Community Leaders". Archived from the original on 7 March 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
6. "UBC Sustainability". Archived from the original on 14 November 2010. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
7. "Eva Matsuzaki". The Canadian Encyclopedia . Retrieved 6 September 2019.
8. IAR History Archived 2 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine
9. CascadiaBC Archived 6 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine
10. Gudrun, Will. Retrieved online October 2010
11. C.K. Choi Building evaluation Archived 6 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
12. Clivus Multrum composting toilets
13. Seeds of Sustainability: B.C. Lower Mainland Buildings
14. "Green Value case studies" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
15. "BOMA BC". Archived from the original on 29 November 2010. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
16. University of Waterloo - case study
17. AIA/COTE top ten Earth Day Award 2000. Retrieved 2013-12-12

Bibliography and External links

• IAR official website Archived 3 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine
• Gudrun, Will. A Constructive Idea, Vancouver Courier, pp. 1,4-5. Vol. 87, No.48, 16 June 1996
• Alive.com - UBC Uses Eco-Sense
• BuildingGreen.com
• Cascadia Building Council
• Cole, Raymond J. Green Buildings: In Transit to a Sustainable World, Canadian Architect, July 1996, Volume 41, No. 7, pp. 12–13. Retrieved online October 2010.
• Cole, Ray, and Steiger, Michelle, Environmental Research Group, School of Architecture University of British Columbia: GREEN BUILDINGS - GREY OCCUPANTS?. Web-Proceedings: American Institute of Architects/US Green Building Council – Mainstreaming Green Conference, Chattanooga, TN, 14-19 October 1999
• Cornelia Oberlander - landscape and building features
• Commission for Environmental Cooperation
• Cascadia Building Council
• Environmental News Network, 9 September 2008
• GreenStudentU - British Columbia's Sewage-Free Building
• IAR - A Constructive Idea
• Marques, Jorge, and Pagani, Freda, and Perdue, Joanne. Process Makes Product: The C.K. Choi Building For The Institute of Asian Research at the University of British Columbia (post occupancy evaluation through December 1998) Retrieved online October 2010.
• Metaefficient.com
• MetroVancouver.org Green Value case studies
• Old to New - Design Guide: Salvaged Building Materials in New Construction, 3rd Edition, 2002
• Prince, Richard E., UBC Department of Fine Arts. Script for an Asian Landscape, p. 18. Design for a New Millenium, ed. E. Laquian (1996). Institute of Asian Research, Vancouver. Retrieved online October 2010.
• Seeing With New Eyes
• SustainableBuilding.com
• Sustainability TV - A Tour of the C.K. Choi Building
• Treehugger.com: Vancouver Building Goes Off-Pipe
• University of Waterloo - case study