The evolution of the environment buildings

UW’s evolving commitment to sustainability is memorialized in its infrastructure, as a stroll through the faculty of environment buildings makes clear. Long before sustainable development became a global priority, Waterloo was experimenting, adapting, and learning. From the early days of EV1 in the 1960s to the LEED Platinum-certified EV3, these buildings illustrate how UW’s environmental values have grown and transformed over time.

The history of the environment faculty and its buildings:

Long before the term was formally defined by the UN’s World Commission on Environment and Development in 1987, UW had been grappling with sustainable development for decades. UW’s faculty of environment was established in 1969 and is currently housed primarily in three buildings: Environment 1 (EV1), Environment 2 (EV2), and Environment 3 (EV3). 

EV1 was built in 1966. It was originally named Arts II, and was then dedicated as the Isaiah Bowman Building for the Social Sciences before being renamed Environment 1  when environmental departments took over the building in the 1970s. The EV2 wing, former home of UW’s school of architecture, was added in 1981, and in 2012, UW became the first Ontario campus, and the second Canadian campus, with a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum-certified building with EV3. Platinum is the highest level of certification achievable under the LEED green building rating system. Together, these three buildings reflect the university’s evolving relationship with sustainability and environmental design, mirroring the broader development of the faculty itself.

With Canada’s largest environment faculty, UW has a long history of being a trailblazer in environment and sustainability. According to Mat Thijssen, Director of Sustainability, the faculty was established ahead of “the dawn of the modern environmental movement with the idea of sustainability being more socialized globally.” This early start positioned Waterloo to take a leadership role as global environmental awareness grew in the following decades.

Thijssen notes that initiatives such as the Sustainability Living Lab (formerly known as WatGreen) in the early 1990s embodied this pioneering spirit. “The program created learning opportunities for students using the physical campus as a source of ideas and inspiration for them to take on project work and work with the facilities team. Waterloo was a leader globally in doing that, certainly within Canada, but even across North America. And that really persisted through to the sort of mid 2000s. That was when this kind of global trend around corporate sustainability really started to strengthen and then we started seeing across the higher education sector pledges and commitments starting to materialize that more and more campuses were signing onto.”

Early developments, such as this, helped lay the groundwork for the university’s later formal sustainability strategy. “I think sort of the design features of EV3 partially flowed from some that increased understanding, even before we had a formal sustainability strategy, it was certainly not that it was off the radar. It just hadn’t been formalized and centralized yet,” Thijssen said. Therefore, the faculty’s buildings serve as a physical timeline of the university’s evolving sustainability journey.

Lessons learned from EV1 and EV2: 

EV1 and EV2 reflect the Faculty of Environment’s slow progressive nature of working towards sustainability. Environment professor Jennifer Lynes recalls supervising one of her first honours thesis students in the early 2000s, who explored barriers to implementing green buildings on campus. “There was little emphasis on it at that time,” she explains. “There were new buildings being built with opportunities, but they were kind of lost opportunities because the campus architect was not really in favour of green buildings and didn’t see the benefit of them.”

During her tenure at UW, Lynes has had offices in all three buildings. She feels a sense of nostalgia for EV1 because she completed her environmental studies degree there but also recalls its limited natural light. She mentions one of the few areas of EV1 with substantial daylight is the courtyard, however, it was not originally intended that way as the roof was a later addition. 

Similarly to EV1, EV2 attempted to integrate sustainable ideas, but turned out mixed results. Lynes described its moveable office walls as an innovative feature that fell short in practice. The walls were designed in such a way that they are able to be moved into different configurations, so that they could be reused over time. “We were told at the time that they would have a certain level of soundproofness, but that didn’t actually happen,” she said. Due to this, the office became a less social environment. “ when I was in ERS [environment, resources, and sustainability] in EV1, ERS was always collegial, like lots of people would have their office doors open… But then when we moved to EV2, you started to get a lot more closed doors because of the sound. So people ended up working at home more or not coming into the office or closing the door… I always feel like ERS has tried to be green, but then the technology at the time might not have been up to what it is now. So that was always a little bit disappointing and it’s aesthetically… a lot of white. A lot of white walls” said Professor Lynes. By the late 2000s, these lessons converged into the planning of EV3 which would set a new sustainability benchmark for buildings on campus.

The introduction of EV3:

Lynes credits the construction of EV3 to a mix of timing and fortunate circumstances. Due to university funding policies, new buildings require “a certain percentage [of funding that] has to come from the faculty,” she said. The launch of the infrastructure project followed the 2008 financial crisis, however, she explained that Dean David Johnson’s strong connections made it possible to secure the necessary funding. His efforts came at a time focused on economic recovery and job creation.

According to Thijssen, EV3 was a major step forward even before UW had any official sustainability goals. “Even before we had sort of our long term commitment to decarbonization, this was a really exciting project to move that forward at the local level within one of our new buildings.” 

In true environment faculty fashion, stepping out of the norm and getting ahead of the trend, EV3 emerged as an example for future campus planning. “It was one of those case studies that we could draw on to have the university’s first net neutral building policy for all new construction. It really laid the foundation for a lot of that work,” Thijssen noted. EV3, therefore, became both a symbol of institutional commitment and a foundational piece of the university’s broader decarbonization goals. 

To achieve LEED certification, the design must first be accepted for this goal and then achieve the necessary amount of LEED factors such as water and energy efficiency. “It was fairly comprehensive, and led to all kinds of interesting discussions. Like, should we have solar panels? Should we not have solar panels? Fortunately, of course, we did end up with solar panels and we also ended up with the reflective roof,” shared former UW Professor Paul Parker.

Sustainable features of EV3

EV3’s sustainability is expressed not only through visible features but primarily through the invisible efficiencies built into its design. EV3 was built over a large part of EV2 to take advantage of available vertical space and features exposed structural beams throughout. Lynes explained that the design aimed to keep the building’s footprint small, which is why it was constructed partly over EV2 and why the office space includes visible support beams. Thijssen added that “they look really well integrated, but they’re functionally two separate buildings.”  

Additionally, when EV3 was integrated with EV2, what was previously an external wall with poor insulation became an internal wall of EV3, resulting in substantial energy savings. 

Another sustainability element largely invisible from view sits high above the building: its solar panels. Environment professor Ian Rowlands, with research, teaching, and community interests in energy transitions and management strategies, has done work with the solar panels including facilitating their recent expansion. “Through a collaboration between the faculties of environment and engineering, the capacity of the solar-PV system on the roof of EV3 expanded, in 2024, from 60 kW to 70 kW through the installation of new PV bifacial panels that also generate power in winter by capturing sunlight reflected from snow.” 

These upgrades have not only improved clean energy generation year-round, but also fostered student engagement and learning opportunities. “Most recently we had a climate change class, a small group, do some analysis of how we could take the data from those solar panel productions and potentially put it on the screens in the EV3 atrium to incentivize behavioural change, to encourage conversations about energy, to raise awareness.” 

Occupant response to EV3: 

Beyond its technical achievements, EV3 has intentionally fostered an environment that encourages connection and collaboration. Lynes describes the sense of community fostered due to faculty members of the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED) finally being in one environment together in EV3. “We were never all in one place, our offices were everywhere. There was no sort of communal area for SEED to be in.” And of course, better soundproofing played a role in increased productivity and connection: “I think there are a lot of great design things that I would say, such as increasing productivity in some ways while still allowing us to be social as a floor, without the sound really bothering”, she said.

In terms of aesthetics, Parker notes that “natural life was always a priority, throughout, so that regardless of where you were, you could have access so that it would inspire users of the building, you know, so that the students and the staff and the faculty would all feel energized.” The Ev3rgreen Café, located on the first floor of the building, exemplifies this design philosophy. “We gave students the best corner office in the building on every floor,” Parker said. “We wanted students to enjoy the space as well as to demonstrate sustainability principles.” 

The café’s operations also reflect the environmental mission of the building, offering a dedicated plant-forward menu since 2021. Menu items are fully plant-based by default, with optional non-plant-based alternatives available. According to Food Services, in 2024, 32 per cent of meals purchased at EV3 were plant-based. Furthermore, 9 per cent of coffee beverage sales over the past year were associated with eco-mug use, in which customers brought their own reusable coffee mug. 

EV3’s influence on its occupants is also evident in how it subtly shapes behaviour, a key example being the main staircase. The staircase was intentionally placed at the building’s entrance to encourage physical activity and social interaction. “People will use it if they see it, and this becomes a social norm [instead of using the elevator],” Parker said. 

From the café and communal offices to the open staircase, elements such as these illustrate how EV3’s design has aimed to shape both the habits and the sense of belonging among its occupants.

The external surrounding area

EV3’s influence extends beyond its walls, shaping the surrounding campus landscape and community activity. ”EV3 worked with the Faculty of Environment and the Arts building to create the environment gardens behind EV1, EV2 and the psychology building, as well as supporting the bike cage by the building, and the student run compost cows. Thijssen explained how it is things like this that have helped to create an exciting community within and around the building.

Lynes, who completed her master’s of environmental studies at UW, recalls how different the area looked during her studies. “I always remember this picture in my head, which influenced me wanting to come here, and it was [a] student sitting … by Laurel Creek there. But at the time, there was no vegetation around, it was just grass.” Back then, the philosophy was to make everything grass. A lot of work has definitely gone into making this area greener. That’s something that’s changed on the campus as well.”

Shortcomings of EV3: 

Despite its many successes, building EV3 wasn’t without challenges, especially given its accelerated timeline. “The design had to happen pretty quickly,” Parker explained. “The federal government had some funds available that had to be used within a short period of time. So it was a very short timeline. He explains that it would have been preferable to include more community and stakeholder engagement in the design process, had the circumstances allowed for it. However, due to the short timeline, the target of LEED platinum was the primary focus, somewhat limiting the creative scope. Some sustainability features were ultimately cut, such as shower and bike facilities for cyclists. “That was disappointing,” Lynes admitted. “It just takes away some barriers for people commuting longer distances by bike.” Safe bike storage was also an issue for a long time until the outdoor structure was built about five years after EV3 was built. 

Conclusion: 

Together, the three environment buildings chart the university’s evolving understanding of what it means to build sustainably and their approach to campus development. Professor Lynes observes that the evolution of the Faculty of Environment reflects the university’s broader approach to campus development. She explains that this shift has influenced subsequent buildings, which increasingly incorporate sustainable design. While UW was an early leader in sustainability when she first arrived, progress slowed for a time. The establishment of a dedicated Office of Sustainability has helped reinvigorate these efforts by ensuring sustainability is included in planning and decision-making across campus.

Rowlands expressed that each building reflects a different era of institutional architecture. “You get a glimpse into what was done at the time, in the sense of layout, structure, and even colour palette. As a result, different people will probably have different parts of the three buildings that they like more or less. As for me, I think they all have their charms. For instance, I love both the EV1 courtyard and the EV3 atrium but each has a very different kind of vibe.”  

The three buildings serve as a timeline of changing environmental awareness and standards, each reflecting the values and knowledge of its era while illustrating how each generation has built upon the lessons of the past.