Recently, UBC Faculty of Applied Science welcomed students into a vibrant new teaching and learning space that is one of Canada’s first institutional spaces designed to be near-zero embodied carbon. It’s also the first such building designed by students.

The bright and airy 2,400-square-foot wood frame building, called Third Space Commons, emitted nearly-zero carbon emissions during construction, a feat that many view to be the final frontier facing carbon emissions reductions across the global building industry.

Virtually every material, construction technique and design element of the project was chosen for its ability to lower or even capture carbon emissions.

Third Quadrant Design, a 60-member student engineering design team with members across UBC disciplines, managed the project from conception through to completion, assembling a group of supportive industry partners who provide mentorship and guidance.

“We sought to create an addition to campus that encourages interdisciplinary action on climate change, both as an example and through its eventual use. As a sustainability living lab and flexible collaboration space, we hope Third Space Commons will inspire future building industry leaders and cultivate innovation,” said UBC architecture student Katie Theall, the project’s architecture lead.

The thermal insulation is made of hempcrete – a mixture of hemp fibres and lime which captures carbon from the atmosphere as it sets. It eventually turns into a concrete-like material but one that’s made primarily out of a renewable, carbon-sequestering natural fibre.

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