C. K. Choi Building Explained

C.K. Choi Building
Map Type:	Canada
Building Type:	University Office Building
Owner:	University of British Columbia
Current Tenants:	Institute of Asian Research
Address:	1855 West Mall, UBC, Vancouver
Location Country:	Canada
Coordinates:	49.2671°N -123.2584°W
Completion Date:	1996
Floor Count:	3 storeys
Floor Area:	34,400 sq.ft.
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

See 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

• 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

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

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.)
• 2000 Earth Day 2000 Top Ten Award, American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment^[17]

Bibliography and External links

• IAR official website
• 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

Notes and References

1. Web site: UBC press release 1996-10-06 . 20 October 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110404011806/http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/media/releases/1996/mr-96-68.html# . 4 April 2011 . dead .
2. Web site: Cascadia Building Council . 20 October 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071024181213/http://www.cascadiagbc.org/resources/case-studies/ckchoicasestudy.pdf# . 24 October 2007 . dead .
3. Cole and Steiger, p.7
4. https://www.iar.ubc.ca/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=IpTvbxFaIaQ%3D&tabid=90&mid=527&forcedownload=true IAR In Memoriam
5. Web site: Community Leaders . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120307075716/http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/ubcreports/1997/97may22/honor.html . 7 March 2012 . 22 October 2010.
6. Web site: UBC Sustainability . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20101114095318/http://www.sustain.ubc.ca/green-buildings# . 14 November 2010 . 21 October 2010.
7. Encyclopedia: Eva Matsuzaki . . 6 September 2019.
8. http://www.iar.ubc.ca/aboutus/history.aspx IAR History
9. http://casestudies.cascadiagbc.org/overview.cfm?ProjectID=44 CascadiaBC
10. Gudrun, Will. Retrieved online October 2010
11. http://www.sustain.ubc.ca/pdfs/ckchoi.PDF C.K. Choi Building evaluation
12. http://www.cityfarmer.org/comptoilet64.html Clivus Multrum composting toilets
13. http://newcity.ca/Pages/choi_building.html Seeds of Sustainability: B.C. Lower Mainland Buildings
14. Web site: Green Value case studies . 22 October 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110717034038/http://www.metrovancouver.org/about/publications/Publications/greenvaluecasestudies1.pdf . 17 July 2011 . dead .
15. Web site: BOMA BC . 22 October 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101129030915/http://www.boma.bc.ca/earth.php . 29 November 2010 . dead .
16. http://www.architecture.uwaterloo.ca/faculty_projects/terri/sustain_casestudies/edited/CK-Choi-Building.pdf University of Waterloo - case study
17. http://pdf.wri.org/aia_award2000.pdf AIA/COTE top ten Earth Day Award 2000