C. K. Choi Building, Research facility at University of British Columbia, Canada.
The C. K. Choi Building is a research facility at the University of British Columbia composed of five connected volumes. The structure uses natural ventilation through operable windows across three floors and includes sensor-controlled lighting systems alongside rainwater collection tanks for irrigation.
The C. K. Choi Building was designed by Matsuzaki Wright for UBC's Institute of Asian Research, founded in 1978 as a major Canadian research centre for Asia. It was built on an existing parking lot surrounded by large trees, and about 50% of its building materials were recycled or re-used. It won the 1996 BC Hydro Energy Smart Award and a 2000 Earth Day Top Ten Award from the AIA Committee on the Environment.
The building is named for Dr. Cheung-Kok Choi, a businessman and philanthropist in China, Hong Kong and Canada and a major UBC donor. Its five identical curved roof forms mark the Asian focus of the Institute of Asian Research, giving each of its five research centres a recognisable landmark without favouring one culture over another.
The building sits in the northwest quadrant of the UBC campus, on the site of a former parking lot shaded by large trees. Its narrow profile brings daylight into the interior, and ventilation comes from windows rather than mechanical systems, so rooms draw fresh outside air. Lighting is sensor-controlled and switches off when spaces are empty.
The building sits on the footprint of a former parking lot ringed by large trees, a siting choice made to limit heat gain. Its narrow profile cuts site impact and brings daylight inside. Ventilation is non-mechanical, drawing fresh air through windows, and the structure runs on surplus electricity from adjacent buildings.
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