Fipke Centre for Innovative Research

Description:

Kasian, a global architecture, design and planning firm, is pleased to announce that the Charles E. Fipke Centre for Innovative Research (Fipke Centre) and the adjacent Arts & Sciences Building, located at the Okanagan campus of the University of British Columbia (UBCO), have both been awarded five Green Globes™. These are the first campus buildings in the world to each receive five Green Globes and are also the first paired buildings to attain this distinction. Both buildings are designed by Kasian Architecture Interior Design and Planning Ltd, (Kasian), in collaboration with the UBC Properties Trust. (…)

The Fipke Centre and the Arts & Sciences Building both contain laboratories, classrooms, student commons and offices to support a wide variety of innovative research projects. The Arts & Sciences Building also includes a theatre and an animal care facility. Creating an energy-efficient building that houses one or more laboratories poses significant challenges, as laboratories and education facilities are amongst the most energy-intensive building types. On average, a laboratory consumes five to 10 times more energy per square foot than an average office building. The project team for both facilities successfully adopted a holistic “whole building” approach to the design, using Building Information Modelling (BIM). This permits each building to be viewed as interdependent system, rather than an accumulation of separate components. The owners, architects and engineers collaborated from the start to ensure that all of the building systems work together in harmony, resulting in improved energy efficiency, sustainability, economy of construction and enhanced occupancy health and comfort. Recent analysis of energy consumption data from the Fipke Centre indicates that the building is 46 per cent more energy efficient than a standard reference building that meets the requirements of the Model National Energy Code for Buildings (MNECB). [1]

The Fipke Centre for Innovative Research focuses on generic research and teaching space, rather than a building that is “owned” by one or more academic departments. This creates synergies in collaboration between faculty and different departments and with industries, between research and teaching; and will ensure flexibility in the future as some research program areas grow and others decline. The Fipke Centre has earned an unprecedented five Green Globes in recognition for sustainable design initiatives such as a wind tower for air exchange, a groundwater energy system for winter heating and summer cooling. [2]

References:

[1]      “University of British Columbia in the Okanagan SECURES Global First with Five Green Globes.” Canadian Architect, April 30, 2012. https://www.canadianarchitect.com/university-of-british-columbia-in-the-okanagan-secures-global-first-with-five-green-globes/.

[2]      “UBCO FIPKE Centre.” UBC PROPERTIES TRUST. Accessed August 26, 2021. https://www.ubcproperties.com/projects/ubco-fipke-centre/.

Additional information:

“Downtown Presence.” UBC’s Okanagan Campus, May 28, 2021. https://ok.ubc.ca/about/downtown-presence/.

“Fipke Centre (FIP).” Fipke Centre (FIP) | Learning Spaces. Accessed August 26, 2021. https://learningspaces.ok.ubc.ca/buildings/fipke-centre-fip.

“Fipke Centre and Arts & Sciences Building at the University of British Columbia: Kasian Architecture.” Archello. Accessed August 26, 2021. https://archello.com/project/fipke-centre-and-arts-sciences-building-at-the-university-of-british-columbia.

“Five Green Globes for UBC Okanagan’s Fipke Centre.” UBC Okanagan News. Accessed August 26, 2021. https://news.ok.ubc.ca/2007/11/15/five-green-globes-for-ubc-okanagans-fipke-centre/.

“UBC Okanagan Arts and Science Centre and CHARLES Fipke Building.” Kasian, August 20, 2021. https://kasian.com/project/ubco-arts-and-sciences-and-charles-fipke-building/.

“The UBC Okanagan Arts and Sciences Building.” CPCI, August 26, 2021. https://www.cpci.ca/en/about_us/project_month/june_2012/.

“UBC Okanagan Charles E. Fipke Centre for Innovative Research.” Infrastructure Development. Accessed August 26, 2021. https://infrastructuredevelopment.ubc.ca/projects/ubc-okanagan-charles-e-fipke-centre-for-innovative-research/.

“UBCO Arts and Sciences Phase II.” UBC PROPERTIES TRUST. Accessed August 26, 2021. https://www.ubcproperties.com/projects/ubco-arts-and-sciences-phase-ii/.

“UBCO Labs Lead the WAY: Sustainable Design and University Campuses.” Construction Canada, November 17, 2016. https://www.constructioncanada.net/ubco-labs-lead-the-way-sustainable-design-and-university-campuses/.

“UBC’s Okanagan Campus.” YouVisit. Accessed August 26, 2021. https://www.youvisit.com/tour/photos/59981/80216?id=37692.

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