“Through our collaboration with the IwB on the Canuhome, we were able to create a model home that could educate and empower people about options for living that are both cost-effective and support sustainability. For us, this was a very tangible way of expressing what we do at CMHC–namely to help improve the quality, choice and affordability of housing in Canada.”
– Mark Salerno, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Special Projects
The IwB has a special projects division that undertakes research that supports and enhances the curriculum. These exploratory projects are conducted in parallel with the major project but can span outside the academic year. The Institute works on special projects with partners who share the IwB’s mandate and mission – to foster collaboration between disciplines and create innovative, local and sustainable solutions to 21st century global challenges.
The Institute has developed projects with organizations in Canada and abroad. Its special projects have included innovative designs for next generation housing and transportation, and community charrettes that gather feedback from stakeholders and local residents. These projects span the fields of urban planning and development, exhibit design, architecture, product design, communications, systems and service design and more.
Past special projects have included: canühome, an 850 square foot residence that presented a housing system for the future based on principles of sustainability, accessibility, technological responsiveness, and ecological balance, executed in partnership with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation; the MOVE Transportation Expo, a multi-sensory tour of the future of transportation and an exploration of the innovative ideas and technologies needed to build and connect our communities in efficient and sustainable ways, in partnership with Evergreen; the Sustainable Summer School held in the Meuse-Rhine Region of Belgium and the Netherlands, to solve regional problems and promote sustainable design education, in partnership with REcentre for Sustainable Design, as well as many others.
At the IwB, we deliver practical design solutions through tested research and design methods. The IwB builds unique projects with its partners and all projects are negotiated on an individual basis. Our success is reflected in our continuing collaborations with past partners, with whom we have created a strong multi-organizational network of like minded collaborators. Our network continues to grow, as does the breadth and diversity of our projects.
In addition to the special projects division, the IwB also has an academic division and professional projects division.
To find out more about the IwB please visit our FAQ or contact us.
