the lab
elementslab is an applied urban design and environment research group in the School of Architecture + Landscape Architecture and the Centre for Interactive Research in Sustainability at the University of British Columbia. Co-founders and co-directors Cynthia Girling and Ronald Kellett work closely with students, collaborators, clients and sponsors to create new knowledge, processes and tools for effective, creative integration of urban form and environment.
We emphasize methods of measured visualization for urban design to elevate urban sustainability. The results of our work have contributed to the development of urban design tools, indicators, guidelines and community prototypes in the United States and Canada.
Our expertise spans the disciplines of urban design, landscape architecture and architecture. We work across scales (from regions to buildings) on community-based projects typically in collaboration with academic and professional partners. Academic collaborators have included faculty and students in atmospheric science, architecture, community and regional planning, computer science, civil engineering, environmental design, forestry, geography, landscape architecture, library science and remote sensing.
The results of our work have contributed to the development of urban design tools, indicators, guidelines and community prototypes in the United States and Canada. Expansion and refinement of our principal tool, elementsdb, a web-based database of case-based urban form examples, and its application in applied urban design research and teaching contexts is an ongoing project.
Current research group:
Agatha Czekajlo, Manager, with research assistants Julieta Alva, Noora Hijra, Samantha Miller, Sandra Puga, Jeri Szeto, Ilona LeCarre (Visiting International Student)
Research staff have included:
Lindy Baiani, Ruby Barnard, Christina Bollo, Brendan Buchanan Dee, Camila Curi, Korbin Dasilva, John Owen de Lancie, Jim Dema-Ala, Muhammad Dewji, Hanyu Gao, Emma Gosselin,Grant Hainsworth, Jason Heinrich, Fausto Inomata, Yilang Karen Kang, Juchan Kim, Nathan Keebler, Alix Krahn, Taelynn Lam, Erica Lay, Doreen Leo, Jeannie Lim, Yuhao (Bean) Lu, Nicholas Martino, Jess MacDaniel, Alexander Man-Bourdon, Stephanie Mauer, Justin McCarty, Courtney Miller, Nicole Miller, Ignacio Mingo, Anna Murynka, Emma Ng, Nikki Ng, Victor Ngo, Inna Olchovski, Maysa Phares, Maxim Pravosoudov, Phil Riley, Jon Salter, Warren Scheske, Caroline Schutrumpf, Alex Scott, NeginShakibi, Mesa Sheriff, Nicholas Sinkewicz, Eric Siu, Elsa Snyder, Jessica Stuart, Nicole Sylvia, Alexander (Wicky) Turton, Michael van der Laan, Emily Warkentin, Karen Wong, Andrew Yu, Kevin Zhang, Peter Zhang.
Awards
Excellence in Policy Planning Award (Cities and Urban Areas) from the Planning Institute of British Columbia. Cynthia Girling and Ronald Kellett cited for research contribution to the Cambie Corridor Plan in collaboration with City of Vancouver planning team (Jim Bailey lead). 2012.
American Society of Landscape Architects Honor Award in Research Category for Getting to Minus 80: Defining the Contribution of Urban form to Achieving Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Targets based on a compilation of several research projects (including Emerald Hills Urban Village and PlanIT Calgary cited in research activities and publications sections of vita) undertaken with multiple collaborators and the Design Centre for Sustainability. 2010.
Canadian Society of Landscape Architects, National Merit Award for Research for ‘Green Infrastructure in Calgary’s Mobility Corridors’ Cynthia Girling, Ronald Kellett, Maria Galdon and Lara Davis. 2009.
Industry award to a consulting project, U.S. Green Development of the Year from the National Home Builders Association, Washington, DC for Pringle Creek Community with Opsis Architecture (prime consultant), Ramsay Worden Architects and Patrick Condon, 2007.
2006 Canadian Society of Landscape Architects, Regional Citation for Skinny Streets and Green Neighborhoods: Design for Environment and Community, Cynthia Girling, Ronald Kellet, (Island Press), 2005.
Press
Shore, Randy (2021) Fuel-switching, building retrofits are potent tools to reduce GHG emissions, The Vancouver Sun, February 15, 2021.
Fuel-switching and building retrofits are potent tools for reducing GHGs in temperate climate cities, Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions Research Highlights, January 8, 2021, accessed February 16, 2010 https://pics.uvic.ca/research/fuel-switching-and-building-retrofits-are-potent-tools-reducing-ghgs-temperate-climate
Green Communities: Decarbonizing the Built Environment, Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions Research Highlights, June 30, 2020, accessed February 16, 2021 https://pics.uvic.ca/research/green-communities-decarbonizing-built-environment
Zdaniuk, Natalia, 2013, “Playing in the Sandbox,” Spacing, July 22, 2013. http://spacing.ca/vancouver/2013/07/22/elementslab/
CBC The Nature of Things, Suzuki Diaries: Future City, Thursday February 16, 2012, featured the Multi-touch Table work of Ronald Kellett, Cynthia Girling, Kellogg Booth, Tao Su and graduate students..
Fisher, Susan, 2007, Skinny Streets and Green Neighborhoods: Design for Environment and Community, Cynthia Girling and Ronald Kellett, Journal of the American Planning Association, Vol. 73, No. 1 Winter 2007.
Canzonieri, Carmela Skinny Streets and Green Neighborhoods: Design for Environment and Community, Cynthia Girling and Ronald Kellett, Urban Habitats (electronic journal) http://www.urbanhabitats.org/, Vol. 4, No. 1. December, 2006.
Piselli, Kathy, Skinny Streets and Green Neighborhoods: Design for Environment and Community, Cynthia Girling and Ronald Kellett, Electronic Green Journal http://egj.uidaho.edu, Issue 23, Spring, 2006.
No author, Skinny Skinny Streets and Green Neighborhoods: Design for Environment and Community, Cynthia Girling and Ronald Kellett, Planning, Vol. 72, No. 8, August/September 2006.
Except where otherwise noted, the original work by Cynthia Girling and Ronald Kellett presented on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
elementslab is an applied urban design and environment research group in the School of Architecture + Landscape Architecture and the Centre for Interactive Research in Sustainability at the University of British Columbia.