(Edmonton) The Centennial Centre for Interdisciplinary Science has been awarded a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver designation by the Canada Green Building Council. LEED is used to benchmark and recognize the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings.
Completed in the summer of 2011, CCIS sets the stage for collaborations by five research groups within the Faculty of Science, across the University of Alberta campus and around the world. New lecture halls and teaching labs provide an unprecedented learning experience for students campus-wide.
"We are taking a holistic approach to planning buildings," said Ben Louie, university architect in Facilities and Operations. "By programming and designing people-friendly spaces that are sustainable and welcoming, using materials that are built to last and ensuring the best use of resources, we can ensure this building will be in use and enjoyed for a long time."
Leading by example
CCIS supports the U of A's goal of providing sustainable places to study, work and live through sustainable planning, design, construction, retrofits and operations-as set out in the university's sustainability plan.
"The university is committed to a culture of environmental stewardship," said Louie. "In order to do that, we need to lead by example. The success of CCIS is a great example of how this work is paying off."
The building is designed to bring natural light into the interiors, while reducing energy consumption. The design integrates multiple systems to enhance the user experience, including transparency, use of daylight, and passive thermal heating and cooling.
CCIS houses offices, classrooms, wet and dry labs, lecture theatres and gathering spaces. The design program required collaborative and integrated social spaces to facilitate conversation and exchange of information and ideas, and a programming model that sought to stimulate cross-discipline interchange.
"To facilitate the interdisciplinary nature of the building, we incorporated breakout spaces, social spaces and multi-functional spaces to encourage conversation and the mingling of students and researchers," said Louie. "I think the building accomplishes this goal through good architectural design."
The LEED Silver certification was awarded to the project for meeting or exceeding performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water efficiency, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
The building site itself was a sustainable choice because it is an infill site that uses existing services, such as utilities, access to transit and parking facilities. Other green features of the project include on-site bicycle storage with change rooms and showers for cyclists, low-flow fume hoods in labs, high-efficiency heat recovery, access to regional building materials, and a green housekeeping program.
Striving for sustainability
The U of A is seeking certification related to environmental design and operations on a number of ongoing and recently completed building projects on campus:
- The Edmonton Clinic Health Academy is pursuing LEED Silver.
- The Medical Isotope and Cyclotron Facility is pursuing Four Green Globes.
- The Camrose Performing Arts Centre is pursuing Three Green Globes.
- The Innovation Centre for Engineering is pursuing LEED Gold.
- The Cooling Plant on Campus is pursuing LEED Silver.
- The Physical Activity and Wellness Centre is pursuing Four Green Globes.
- The 89 Avenue Student Residences are pursuing Four Green Globes.
For more information on sustainable practices on campus, please visit Energy Management and Sustainable Operations.