Peek inside Laurier’s innovative water research facility at Doors Open 2019

Sept. 12, 2019
For Immediate Release

Waterloo – The public is invited to tour Wilfrid Laurier University’s Centre for Cold Regions and Water Science (CCRWS) as part of Doors Open Waterloo Region on Saturday, Sept. 21.

The theme of this year’s one-day Doors Open event in Waterloo Region is “water” and the CCRWS, a collaborative research facility leading the study of the most pressing issues facing water, is one of 16 sites across the region offering tours and activities related to the theme. The Laurier research facility will offer guided tours of its research labs and rooftop greenhouse, along with hands-on science activities for all ages.

The CCRWS is home to two interdisciplinary Laurier research centres and two collaborative research groups that study water and aquatic ecosystems in locations ranging from the Grand River watershed to Canada’s Arctic. An award-winning building for its sustainable design, the CCRWS blends light-filled spaces with facilities that replicate Arctic climate conditions. Its labs and state-of-the-art analytical equipment are used to research a range of complex issues, including the impacts of climate change and forest fires.

“We can’t wait to welcome the community into our one-of-a-kind building and share what we’ve been up to,” said Gena Braun, research instrumentation technician at the CCRWS. “Multiple research groups use this space to explore issues that impact each and every one of us, so it’s exciting to show the public how we’re working to protect our most important resource.”

Laurier will also be represented at another site welcoming visitors for Doors Open. Manuel Riemer, a Laurier professor of community psychology, will give a talk titled, “What is a culture of sustainability? Co-creating change for a better future” at the evolv1 building.

Riemer, who is director of the Viessmann Centre for Engagement and Research in Sustainability (VERiS), located in evolv1, is researching how to close the gap between the potential energy- and resource-saving performance of sustainable buildings and actual performance, with a focus on creating cultures of sustainability. He will give his talk twice, at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.  

Laurier’s CCRWS, located at 65 Lodge St., Waterloo, opened in 2013 with the support of the Government of the Northwest Territories, Canada Foundation for Innovation, Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation, and Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. Evolv1, owned and designed by the Cora Group as Canada’s first net-positive multi-tenant office building, is located at 420 Wes Graham Way, Waterloo.

All Doors Open tours and activities are free of charge and most sites, including the CCRWS and evolv1, are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 21. For more information on Doors Open Waterloo Region, visit doorsopenontario.on.ca/en/waterloo-region.