Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) today held the ceremonial groundbreaking for the construction of its new administrative office building, a project that will set a benchmark for sustainable design in commercial building.
Scheduled for occupancy in summer 2021, this 8,100 square metre, four-storey office building with a mass timber structural system will meet a number of environmental standards, including the Toronto Green Standard Tier II certification, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification and the WELL Silver certification.
The project is also participating in the Canadian Green Building Council’s Zero Carbon Building Pilot Program.
The new administrative office building will be located at 5 Shoreham Drive in Toronto, near York University, at the approximate centre of TRCA’s area of jurisdiction.
The new building’s sustainable design features will include:
- Solar thermal panels on the roof
- Four solar chimneys
- Waterwalls to reduce energy use
- Electric vehicle charging stations
- Rainwater harvesting to irrigate a green roof
The landscape design will follow low impact design (LID) guidelines and feature native species. View the project fact sheet for more details.
At today’s ceremonial groundbreaking we welcomed remarks from The Honourable Judy Sgro, MP for Humber River-Black Creek, Tom Rakocevic, MPP for Humber River-Black Creek, Anthony Perruzza, City of Toronto Councillor for Humber River-Black Creek, Jennifer Innis, Peel Regional Councillor and Chair of the TRCA Board of Directors, and John MacKenzie, Chief Executive Officer of TRCA.
Construction of the new administrative office building was approved by the TRCA Board of Directors in June 2016, and by all six of TRCA’s participating municipalities in early 2017.
The new building will accommodate more than 400 employees. It will enable TRCA to consolidate staff now working in multiple facilities at a central location, reducing travel times and costs, and creating operational efficiencies that will help the organization deliver the best possible customer service and support.
Read the project backgrounder to learn more.