Located along Toronto’s Black Creek Ravine, the new administrative building will house over 400 staff in 7,500 m2 of usable space in a building that steps up to 4 stories from the top of the ravine. Designed to be a leading example of green building & effective workplace design, watershed decision-makers are metaphorically placed into “the heart of the watershed” by providing a tangible platform for reimagining building design and construction practices in a traditionally carbon-intensive industry for a responsible, greening economy. 

The premise of the design is that the character and quality of human/environment interaction is conditioned by the presence of Nature. TRCA staff will be inspired by a new engagement with the environment as the building establishes a new natural geometry, and visitors will be inspired to discover a hidden landscape just below the plane of the city. We have approached the project as an opportunity for Toronto to renovate, repair, re-imagine its relationship with the Black Creek Ravine, part of the system of river valleys that form the unique ravine-scape of the city, and of which TRCA is a guardian. 

The building will house a “living laboratory” for developers reconceptualising building practices to reduce the environmental impact of construction, and to better bridge the gap toward sustainable methods through a tangible example. Through a rigorous evidence-based research process of experimentation, interactive workshops established high performance metrics and synergies. These were essential in realising this fully accessible building, while making a conscious effort to achieve a smaller carbon footprint through all lifecycle phases. 

This pioneering all Mass Timber building was selected by the Canada Green Building Council to participate in their Zero Carbon Building pilot program. Model simulations predict an over 50% reduction in operating emissions, and an over 75% reduction in embodied carbon, compared to the average commercial building in Toronto. According to our research, achieving these targets will make it the most energy and water efficient building in Canada. Specific sustainability targets include LEED Platinum, CaGBC Zero Carbon Building Standard v2, WELL Silver and Toronto Green Standard Tier 3.

Team:

Architects: ZAS Architects + Interiors, Bucholz McEvoy Architects

Visualization: ZAS Architects + Interiors