Conservation Authority's new headquarters leads by example

Globe and Mail

04-06-2025

The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority's new building at 5 Shoreham Dr. passes the smell test.
Not only does it possess the delicious aroma of a spruce forest, it has an ideology, a purpose and an ethos hewn into the reality of bricks-and-mortar – no, scratch that – into mass timber, advanced energy efficiency, and so many green building certifications. It is the Vantablack of green; the poster child of sustainability, the Muhammad Ali of the environment.
Then again, if the TRCA doesn't lead by example, who will?
'We've taken almost every single sustainable technology you can imagine [and] we've put it into one space and showcased how it can be done,' says TRCA senior project manager Chris Ellis, who watched the 86,000-square-foot, four-storey headquarters grow from a hole in the ground in 2022. 'But not just so we can do it for ourselves … it's to demonstrate to developers, the private sector, [or local] residents who might say: 'I've heard about all of these different things, but …''
My only advice to any visitor to the building is this: unless you count yourself in the top five per cent of thinkers on sustainability, ask your guide to go slow. There's a lot to take in.
Thankfully, Tisha Tan, TRCA program manager of community outreach and education, did just that during Doors Open last month. She asked everyone, 'to look up and tell me what they noticed. We've had a lot of really great discussions about the wood already, because the first thing people say [is], 'Wow there's a lot of wood in here.''
While the floor is concrete, pretty much everything above it is wood, whether walls, stairs, ceilings, or even the elevator core – something that's usually done in concrete. And save for flame-retardant coatings in some key areas, it's all been left untreated, says Mr. Ellis. 'A major motivator of this building was keeping things as raw and naturalized as possible.'
One can almost feel the building breathe, its structure expanding and contracting with humidity or dryness. Actually, that's not entirely true. RJC Engineers built traction panels in between the mass timber beams, which can 'deflect upwards of an inch,' says Mr. Ellis. The BAS, or Building Automation System, is so finely tuned, so tentacled into every nook and cranny, it can sense tiny changes and correct them well before the humans inside notice.
'I started calling it the BOSS because it essentially runs the building,' says Ms. Tan with a laugh as she walks over to what looks like a plain ol' thermostat on the wall. 'These are sensors that are collecting localized data … and all of the sensors talk to each other. We have a weather station up on the roof as well, and that all feeds together so the building can figure out how to be as energy efficient as possible.'
That means each light fixture is individually controlled to allow the BAS to decrease lumens on fixtures near windows filled with natural light and increase lumen output in the shadier parts. Exterior venetian blinds will spring into action if too much natural light is at risk of overheating the building.
Heating and cooling are achieved via an open-loop geothermal system (water is pumped in from an aquifer, and then expelled back to the same area), which is cheaper to build and 15- to 20-per-cent more efficient than the more common closed-loop type. And, other than on the top floor, all mechanicals are housed under the floor.
'When that thermostat detects elevated carbon dioxide levels, the machines under the floor turn on, pressurize the plenum … and will actually distribute to that space fresh air. There are return grills that will draw air back in through the space, through the ERV (energy recovery ventilator). The ERV extracts any waste energy and then discharges the air through the tops of the solar chimneys.'
Solar chimneys? They do more than expel hot air, so hold onto your hat.
'These are unique to us, in the entire world,' says Ms. Tan. She is standing beside what looks to be a glass elevator shaft, except inside are rows of perforated sheets of metal. When the BAS commands it, these sheets become a 'water wall' that is part of the HVAC system. So, other than ejecting hot air up and out, the air inside the columns (there are four in total) can be cooled by the water and used for air conditioning.
'When it's wintertime and that air is dry and cold, that water adds humidity back into that air, and in the summer when the air is really hot, that water is nice and cold, so it evaporates into that air,' finishes Ms. Tan. Impressive, but also huge. This author wonders if, perhaps, the TRCA are pioneering a technology that, one day, can be miniaturized and used in residential applications?
'I think you will absolutely see this technology be further refined,' Mr. Ellis says enthusiastically. 'We've found that it is very effective.' And, should the day come that it's no longer effective, TRCA employees can open a window.
Overall, what the TRCA has done – with their team of ZAS Architects (with Dublin-based Bucholz McEvoy) and RJC Engineers – is put their money, tens of millions of it, where their mouth is with this spectacular building: it's LEED v4 Platinum (the highest certification), it's Zero Carbon-certified, it's situated beside the Black Creek Ravine (an ecosystem they protect), the energy-efficiency is off the charts, and it looks sexy.
'The warmth of a mass timber space is more than beautiful,' corrects Andrew Bayne of RJC Engineers. 'It's a bold, low-carbon solution that helps us actualize TRCA's commitment to an ultraefficient future.'
An efficient future that, I must say, smells terrific.