Buildings: A Driver of Innovation for Sustainable Development
Through both fundamental and applied research — often conducted in partnership — the Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Buildings aims to take a comprehensive look at the built environment in order to understand its role in Canada’s environmental strategy.
At the crossroads of knowledge
Buildings shape our lifestyles, our cities, and our societies. Given their complexity and wide-ranging impacts, they call for an interdisciplinary approach. Since 2023, the Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Buildings, led by Dr. Pierre Blanchet of the Faculty of Forestry, Geography, and Geomatics, brings together diverse expertise around three main streams: buildings and the environment, buildings and humans, and buildings and industry.
Groundbreaking research linking buildings, the environment, people, and the economy
The buildings-environment research stream is focused on how bio-based materials, circular design strategies, and end-of-life management can reduce the sector’s carbon footprint. The buildings-people research stream examines the effects of building materials and spaces on health, comfort, and well-being. At the intersection of these two streams, the Chair evaluates emerging trends such as frugal construction and biophilia, examining their potential to combine environmental performance with quality of life.
Finally, under the building-economy stream, the Chair studies the creation of value within the sector, which is undergoing rapid technological change. Building on the work of the Industrial Research Chair in Eco-Responsible Wood Construction (CIRCERB) (2013–2024), these projects draw on cutting-edge expertise in engineering, architecture, and design to rethink construction systems, improve energy efficiency, and strengthen the sector’s competitiveness.
A collaborative and partnership-based approach
Addressing the issues raised by partners relies on a truly collaborative approach, in which interdisciplinary synergies develop between several faculties: Forestry, Geography and Geomatics, Administrative Sciences, Science and Engineering, Medicine, as well as Planning, Architecture, Art, and Design.
This network of expertise, supported by continuous interaction with the professional community, enables the co-development of integrated research methodologies, enriches perspectives, and generates value-added results that are more easily transferable to real-world applications.
The highly interdisciplinary projects, whether fundamental or applied, allow for a broader and more nuanced exploration of the role of buildings in relation to major societal challenges, helping to position the build environment as a driver of innovation toward sustainable and resilient development.
