A multi-disciplinary synergy at UBC Okanagan, with a novel and silo-breaking approach, is making impacts towards building a greener, circular economy.
As the world realises the urgent need for sustainable practices across the board, the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus (UBCO) stands at the forefront, with its Green Construction Research and Training Centre (GCRTC) and Materials and Manufacturing Research Institute (MMRI) leading the charge in transforming the built environment with state-of-the-art materials and approaches. Through creative research, innovative training, and strategic partnerships, the GCRTC and MMRI are not only addressing the critical environmental impact of the construction industry with cutting-edge research at the interface of basic and applied sciences, but are also advocating for a robust circular economy R&D framework.
Green Construction Research and Training Centre (GCRTC)
The construction industry is a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions and natural resource depletion. From the extraction of raw materials to energy-intensive manufacturing processes, and the vast quantities of construction and demolition waste generated, the sector’s ecological footprint can be categorised as massive. Established through a collaborative partnership between critical stakeholders from industry and academia, the GCRTC serves as a dynamic hub for fostering innovation in green construction. Its predominant objective is to generate and expand knowledge in environmentally friendly construction practices, encompassing materials, structural components, systems, and construction management. The Centre’s work is directly aimed at creating civil infrastructure that is safe, durable, energy-efficient, and affordable through the deployment of trailblazing technologies.
A sustainable built future
A core focus of the GCRTC’s efforts lies in embracing the principles of the circular economy, which is the systemic approach that seeks to eliminate waste and pollution, keep products and materials in use, and regenerate natural systems. Recognising that construction and demolition (C&D) waste accounts for a significant portion of global solid waste, the GCRTC is actively engaged in groundbreaking projects to maximise material recovery and reuse.
One major goal of GCRTC is to redefine the lifecycle of buildings and infrastructure so that every phase (from material sourcing to end-of-life) minimises carbon emissions and maximises resource efficiency. Within this framework, GCRTC actively promotes:
Embracing a circular economy mindset that treats construction materials as ‘banked capital’ instead of disposable waste.
Driving down embodied and operational carbon through innovative material substitutions and design strategies.
Fostering cross-disciplinary education, ensuring future professionals internalise sustainability at every decision point.
By integrating research, training, and real-world demonstrations, GCRTC ensures that sustainable construction practices scale beyond the lab and become industry standard.
Flagship research for carbon footprint reduction
GCRTC’s impact is best illustrated through its diverse portfolio of demonstration and validation projects. Each initiative not only advances scientific understanding but also produces field-ready solutions for industry adoption. Beyond waste valorisation, the GCRTC is deeply involved in developing and promoting sustainable materials and technologies. This includes research into low-carbon alternatives, such as incorporating industrial byproducts or waste into greener concrete. Such innovations directly align with Canada’s net-zero emissions goals and underscore UBCO’s commitment to addressing complex environmental challenges through cutting-edge research. A select list of the flagship initiatives that GCRTC is engaged in is summarised below.
Recycled concrete aggregates (RCAs)
Concrete is the world’s most widely used building material, yet its demolition waste often ends up in landfills. GCRTC researchers have validated that, when properly designed, 100% replacement of natural coarse aggregate with recycled concrete delivers equivalent compressive strength and durability for non-structural applications such as pathway slabs and parking areas. They demonstrated multi-generation of 100% recycling of RCAs.
Wood fly ash as cement replacement
Cement production accounts for roughly 8% of global CO₂ emissions. To mitigate this, GCRTC is working on characterisation of fly ash byproducts from regional biomass-fired power plants, particularly wood ash from forest-residue boilers and optimisation of concrete mixes, where 10–30% of Portland cement is replaced by milled wood fly ash. Laboratory and field tests indicated minimal impact on early-age strength, while achieving considerable embodied carbon reduction.
Crumb rubber in concrete
End-of-life vehicle tyres present a persistent environmental hazard. GCRTC’s crumb rubber project repurposes shredded tyre particles in concrete mixes where mix designs with 5–15% rubber by volume are generating concrete mixes with optimum thermal insulation, sound attenuation, and impact resistance. These rubber-modified concretes demonstrate how waste streams can impart new properties into conventional materials, expanding their application spectrum.
By converting waste materials like wood, concrete, and plastics into valuable new products that can re-enter the construction supply chain, the GCRTC is directly contributing to reducing landfill contributions and fostering new economic opportunities.
Wilden Living Lab: A net-zero energy house
Demonstrating the peak of building performance, the Wilden Living Lab at Kelowna, in the vicinity of UBCO, is a full-scale net-zero energy research house. Equipped with highly insulated wall, roof, and floor assemblies, rooftop photovoltaic array, heat-recovery ventilation system, and real-time energy dashboards, the Wilden Living Lab serves as a living classroom for measuring occupant behaviour, fine-tuning control algorithms, and informing next-generation net-zero design guidelines.
Lifecycle assessment (LCA) toolkit
Quantifying carbon impacts across a building’s lifecycle is essential for informed decisions. GCRTC’s LCA initiative provides a streamlined digital workflow covering cradle-to-grave stages, including material extraction, production, transportation, construction, use, and end-of-life. On pilot projects, teams using the LCA toolkit have achieved average embodied carbon cuts of 25% by substituting low-carbon materials and optimising assembly designs.
Collaborative activities with diverse stakeholders
GCRTC actively fosters a vibrant ecosystem of collaboration and its impact extends beyond its actual footprint through strategic alliances with public agencies, private firms, and non-profit organisations. Beyond its academic partners, the GCRTC collaborates extensively with municipalities and provincial bodies, working to integrate sustainable practices into urban planning and infrastructure development. Funding bodies such as the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), National Research Council Canada (NRC), and MITACS are also key collaborators, providing essential financial support that enables the GCRTC to pursue ambitious research projects. These partnerships underscore the national importance of the Centre’s work in advancing Canada’s sustainable development goals.
The reach within academia
The GCRTC’s influence extends deeply within the academic realm, serving as a catalyst for fostering and promoting sustainable practices and the circular economy within the construction sector. This is achieved through various avenues:
Multi-disciplinary research: The Centre brings together faculty members from diverse disciplines within UBCO’s School of Engineering, including structural engineering, materials science, robotics, mechanical and electrical engineering, management, and environmental science. This multi-disciplinary approach ensures a comprehensive understanding and innovative solutions for the complex challenges of green construction. Research themes within the Urban Infrastructure & Green Construction cluster include sustainable buildings, waste management, and lifecycle management – all crucial for circular economy integration.
Graduate and undergraduate training: The GCRTC is deeply committed to training the next generation of engineers, researchers, and industry professionals. Through hands-on research opportunities, thesis supervision, and specialised courses, students gain the expertise needed to implement sustainable and circular economy principles in their future careers. The Centre’s partnership with MMRI in developing micro-credentials, such as ‘Pathways to Sustainability: Circular Economy’, further exemplifies its dedication to upskilling the workforce with practical tools like lifecycle analysis (LCA) and lifecycle costing (LCC) modelling.
Knowledge dissemination: The Centre actively disseminates its research findings and best practices through various platforms, including peer-reviewed publications, industry workshops, and its widely acclaimed seminar series. These seminars provide a forum for experts to share insights on topics ranging from smart energy use in buildings to resilient infrastructure and the carbon costs of construction, thereby fostering a vibrant intellectual environment and accelerating the adoption of sustainable solutions.
GCRTC is not merely conducting research; it is actively working towards shaping the future of construction. Its visionary approach, extensive collaborations with diverse stakeholders, and deep academic reach are creating a pipeline of innovative, low-carbon solutions. By prioritising the circular economy and focusing on projects that directly reduce carbon footprints, which includes not only upcycling C&D waste to developing groundbreaking low-carbon concrete but also promoting design for disassembly, the GCRTC, in close collaboration with the MMRI, is demonstrating that a sustainable built environment is not just an aspiration but an achievable reality, benefiting both the environment and the economy of British Columbia (BC), Canada and beyond.
A particularly impactful collaboration for the GCRTC’s efforts in sustainability and circular economy is its strong ties with the Materials and Manufacturing Research Institute (MMRI) at UBC. The synergy between the GCRTC and MMRI is profound, particularly in the realm of circular economy innovation. The MMRI’s Accelerating Circular Economy (ACE) platform, supported by significant investment from PacifiCan, directly complements the GCRTC’s objectives. The ACE platform focuses on helping BC-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to develop and commercialise circular products, essentially turning waste into valuable resources.
The Materials and Manufacturing Research Institute (MMRI)
The Materials and Manufacturing Research Institute (MMRI), headquartered at UBCO, builds on the existing expertise, world-class facilities and centres at both of UBC’s campuses, and creates new multi-disciplinary teams that conduct high-quality, high-impact research at the interface of basic and applied sciences, while closely supporting partnerships with industry and government as well as other research institutions. Comprising five clusters, participating researchers collaborate in the areas of aerospace and transportation, building and construction, biomedical and biological, electromagnetic and nanoscale, polymer and natural materials, and manufacturing. The basic and applied research under each cluster is pursued in parallel, but linked by a common thread which, once integrated, significantly contributes to the economic prosperity and social wellbeing of communities and individuals. This model has been exceptionally successful in establishing impactful collaborations on the topic of the circular economy, with ongoing projects involving community stakeholders, including local, national and multi-national businesses, local through to federal Canadian governments, non-profits, and international partners.
MMRI’s research portfolio extends from the development of novel materials to meet sustainable development goals, modelling manufacturing and business processes in support of for-profit firms attracting investments to advance Canada’s green technology sector, the creation of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven immersive extended reality (XR) technologies for training the next-generation workforce, through to non-invasive medical technologies to support nursing staff in hospital settings, and more.
Fostering innovation and silo-breaking
The science and research behind materials and manufacturing continue to evolve around the globe to such an extent that new discoveries and innovations have now become commonplace in many technological sectors. Today’s research in the areas of advanced materials and manufacturing is all about making value-added products that are lighter, stronger, smarter, more durable and energy efficient, while minimising environmental impacts and production costs. A key challenge, however, is to gain insight into what system-level multi-disciplinary approaches can intelligently integrate emerging materials with emerging manufacturing technologies to get innovative products to market more rapidly and efficiently. This is where MMRI breaks new ground in delivering real-world impacts under the silo-breaking, multi-disciplinary guidance of engineering, business, supply chain management, policy, as well as environmental, social and governance aspects for all stakeholders. In this context, we proudly work with Canadian municipal governments and their local industry communities, towards identifying and deploying opportunities to divert material from regional landfills and add value to the economy.
Building international linkages
Scientific innovation that yields positive societal impacts is not only a global need, but is best advanced through cross-border collaborations and the sharing of best practices. MMRI has built a strong international network to this end, with ongoing collaborations with universities, companies and governments in Germany, Spain, France, Australia, and many more. Students involved in international projects also enjoy the added experience of gaining global perspectives in how research is conducted, as well as gaining important cultural context as to the needs of community stakeholders that such work ultimately impacts.
Training and community outreach
Innovating technology is only one piece of transforming the economy, where community outreach and training are core to mobilising and valorizing such knowledge. MMRI integrates these activities into its operations, enabling a continuous two-way flow of knowledge between the institute and the broader community. Initiatives to this end include hosting research symposia, informal ‘Café Series’ webinar events, invited expert speaker talks and more, all as hybrid events able to be attended both in-person on UBC’s campuses, and online, like over Zoom or uploaded for later viewing on YouTube. Further, at the intersection of mobilising cutting-edge research, training students paired with businesses, MMRI’s National Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)-funded Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) programmes offer real-world challenges that make real-world impacts.
MMRI’s dedication to the circular economy also extends to its educational offerings. Programmes like the ‘Pathways to Sustainability: Circular Economy’ micro-credential provide professionals with practical methods to implement circular economy strategies within their organisations. These programmes equip learners with essential tools, including LCA and LCC modelling, to assess environmental impact and optimise resource use in real-world scenarios.
Investing in entrepreneurs
A key gap in realising circular supply chains is the deployment of innovative technologies and processes developed in collaborative research settings. Through collaboration with start-up incubators around Canada, including UBC’s own Entrepreneurship@UBC programme, MMRI supports and mentors student-led start-ups as the next-generation leaders who are mobilising such technologies and processes.
Research for the future
With the rapidly increasing pace of material and process technology discoveries, new constraints on sustainability and environmental practices, and uncertainties surrounding global supply chains, it is more important than ever for all types of organisations to collaborate with their extended stakeholder community. MMRI has found great success with this model by acting as the matchmaker and hub for such collaborations. At the end of the day, research is about changing the way we do things for the betterment of all.
Please note, this article will also appear in the 23rd edition of our quarterly publication.
Source link
