Dr. Ron Kellett

Many jurisdictions are implementing aggressive energy performance targets for buildings — in Vancouver, for example, buildings constructed after 2020 must be carbon neutral in their operations and have zero emissions by 2030. Engineers and architects are being challenged to meet ever-greater demands for high-performance buildings as jurisdictions seek to reduce buildings’ energy use and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Master of Engineering Leadership in High Performance Buildings was born out of the need to prepare professionals with the technical and collaboration skills necessary to design and engineer buildings to achieve ambitious energy and environmental performance goals. These goals can only be met by delivering professional services with better knowledge, tools and integrated design processes. Our program will strengthen engineering and design professionals’ knowledge and technical skills in integrated design. Courses in leadership and business skills will deepen their skills in collaboration, team-building and project management.

I am the director of the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA) and former MEL in HPB program director. My own research looks at energy use across scales, from buildings to neighbourhoods. My colleagues and I are leaders in green building practice in a university that has been setting the bar in this area for decades. The MEL in High Performance Buildings program is very much a part of this context. Our courses draw directly from the expertise and innovation opportunities available on campus and in Vancouver. Many of the over 500 existing and future campus buildings will be case study sites for our students.

Our program engages some of the best practitioners in the field to teach our applied courses. We’re using a team-based approach that brings experts in the field of energy modelling, green building and regenerative design to work directly with our students. Students in this program will benefit from excellent opportunities to deepen their expertise and make important contributions to community and industry.

Experience

Ronald Kellett is a professor and director of the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA) and co-director of the elements lab at UBC. He holds degrees in environmental studies and architecture. Prior to joining UBC in 2004, he practiced architecture in Vancouver and taught architecture at the University of Oregon. In SALA, Kellett teaches design studios and courses in environment and urban form and conducts research related to community scale energy and emissions. From 2010-2012, he was a University Sustainability Initiative Teaching and Learning Fellow and in 2011 received a Killam Teaching Prize.