Learning about sustainable buildings

At the end of the Fall semester, the students worked hard to complete their proposals and refine all the details before they submit it to the City of Cambridge. On November 14th, we had one last workshop with Dr. Manuel Reimer and Tanya Markvart who talked about one of the first sustainable buildings in the Waterloo region: the EVOLV1. This talk was particularly relevant since the guest speakers explained two important factors to consider when designing Net Zero buildings: the culture of sustainability in the community and the impact of transformative approaches in housing development. The students learned that buildings design should not only be based on “high efficiency” but also on the idea of giving back to the natural habitat. During this class, the students also participated in a stimulating debate in which they reflected on the differences between creating “regenerative” buildings, which aim to support the health of ecological systems, and merely high-efficiency buildings which only “buy us time”, as they focus merely on the mitigation of environmental damage. This was such an interesting debate in our class!

From this talk, the students were also able to understand the importance of considering the people who will inhabit these areas when designing sustainable buildings. Dr. Manuel Reimer, who is a WLU Psychology Professor, explained why the people who will move into these buildings will be the ones maintaining the culture of sustainability. We discussed some of the strategies to promote actual sustainability among the community inside the building, such as including recycling bins, motion activated lighting and even a green wall! This will definitely make people feel closer to nature. In their proposals, the students will now consider the role of the community in supporting the reduction of environmental impact.

After this very informative workshop, we talked about how to create a great impression with our CVs. As part of their proposals, the students will have to explain their experience and abilities which will benefit this project. A CV is a great way to show the city of Cambridge their academic involvement and skills developed along the years. Their presentations and proposal were the last stages of the fall semester before we tok a break for the holidays.

Evolve1, Waterloo