The Toronto Region Conservation Authority’s (TRCA) new head office is an 80,000 sq.ft., 4-storey mass timber post-and-beam administrative office building. The headquarters will also be used as a learning center and living laboratory for developers, researchers, professionals and students that will contribute to the uptake of improved methods and technologies that demonstrate zero carbon features and green infrastructure restoration.
The project was a challenge, as the building is not made of traditional right angles – instead it has a lot of unique geometries, making it a much more complicated building than others of similar square footage. It also means that every corner is different and unique.
Apart from supplying the cross-laminated mass timber (CLT) floors and walls, glulam beams, columns and braces, Element5 has been integral to the value-engineering process for this project, including the proposal of a cost-effective prefabricated exterior envelope, helping drive the design development forward.
The building is intended to be one of the most energy-efficient office buildings in North America and received funding through NRCan’s Green Construction Through Wood (GCWood) program, which aims to encourage greater use of wood in construction projects.
