Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS)

The purpose of the CIRS building is to demonstrate sustainable design and construction and act as a catalyst for change.  
An academic building, CIRS houses offices, meeting rooms and labs. The building design incorporates passive strategies for daylighting and natural ventilation, and utilizes a combination of renewable and innovative energy systems, including a geothermal system, photovoltaics, solar thermal hot water and heat exchange with an adjacent building. 
The building structure is a hybrid of concrete and mass timber, with glue-laminate (glulam) columns and beams, and floors of lumber decking sourced regionally.

The building focused on health and well being of its occupants with the goal to offer occupant control for comfort. They accomplished this through manual diffusers that allow occupants to adjust the airflow in their personal space.  The auditorium was heated and cooled using displacement ventilation from diffusers located under the seats. The building was planned for future reconfiguration with the use of raised access floor along with modular power, communication and underfloor air.

In addition to putting sustainable systems on display and educating visitors they continue to disseminate information and lessons learned on an ongoing basis.