Welcome to UBC’s C.K. Choi Building for the Institute of Asian Research!
Click here to enjoy the Building’s Narrated Audio Tour
The C.K. Choi Building for the Institute of Asian Research is an excellent demonstration of sustainable building practices; strategies include the use of salvaged and re-used materials as primary materials for the building.
The C.K. Choi Building is a distinctive long narrow building with a series of angled arc roofs invoking waves. This three-storey, red-brick building, is home to the Institute of Asian Studies. This Institute is composed of five research centres that focus on Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Southeast Asian, Indian and South Asian studies. Each research centre is clustered around one of the five atria, surrounded by offices, meeting areas and study rooms.
The unusual shape was dictated partly by the dimensions of the salvaged structural framing members and site constraints. More specifically, building’s shape is the result of the efforts to preserve an existing grove of trees on the majority of the site.
The C.K. Choi Building project’s principal mandate when comissioned in 1993 to Matsuzaki Wright Architects, was for it to become the new benchmark in sustainable design in the region.
In order to achieve the goals set in terms of sustainable design, the project team pushed the industry standards in place at the time during every step of the project. From their own design process to University standards, each decision was assessed for both its immediate and long term impact on the environment.
The four main goals that this building set out to accomplish were:
1. To reduce environmental impact and general consumption levels
2. To lower embodied energy during the construction process
3. To efficiently manage energy over time
4. To promote a higher quality of livable and workable spaces
Facts about the C.K. Choi Building for the Institute of Asian Research:
- One of Canada’s most environmentally sound building projects.
- Designed by Vancouver based Matsuzaki Wright Architects
- Total project cost $6 million.
- Offers 2,780 square metres (30,000 square feet) of resource and office space.
- Funding from a number of major donors from Canada and Asia including a generous donation from C.K. Choi and family, with matching funds from the Government of B.C.
Project Facts:
|
C.K. Choi Building |
| Architects: | Matsuzaki Wright Architects |
| Structural Engineers: | Read Jones Christoffersen Consulting Engineers |
| Construction Manager: | County West Construction Co. |
| Size: | 28,017 m2 |
| Completed: | 1996 |
We highly encourage that you visit the Official Website of the C.K. Choi Building for more information.
Make sure to visit all of the features of the building before moving on to the next stop.
General Information
Uses of Wood in the Building
Sustainability Features
