Update on New Administrative Office Building

November 22, 2021

Post updated January 27, 2022

TRCA prides itself on being a leader in the development of resilient communities and to that end, works with municipal partners, businesses and residents within our jurisdiction to promote and demonstrate sustainable practices.

TRCA’s new administrative office building is no exception and throughout the design, tendering and construction process the requirement to erect an environmentally responsible building has been the guiding principle. In line with TRCA’s vision for the project, the new building continues to strive for ambitious sustainability and wellness targets, including Toronto Green Standard (TGS) Level 2, LEED Platinum for New Construction, WELL Standard Silver certification, and Canada Green Building’s Council’s (CaGBC) Zero Carbon Standard. The building has also been designed taking into account the ravine context of the Black Creek with strong connections to the ravine, trail, and nearby transit stops to support wellness and active transportation.

Construction of TRCA’s four storey 86,000 sq ft mass-timber building is well underway, and I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you updates and photos of the project.

View Site Plan and Floor Plans

To see the full-sized drawings, open the Options menu (the three dots to the right of the navigation arrows) and select Enter Full Screen.

Mass Timber Construction

As you can see, the mass timber trade has now placed structure around the perimeter of the entire building, as shown below.

© Willie Carroll | IRC Building Sciences Group | A Rimkus Company. Video provided by Element 5.

Open Loop Geothermal System

When the administrative office building was initially designed, TRCA anticipated using a closed loop geothermal system. When a test borehole was installed during construction, hydrogeologists unexpectedly identified that the Laurentian Channel associated with a large aquifer lay under the property and that an open loop system was feasible. After further work by TRCA staff and the design team, and with TRCA Board endorsement, plans changed accordingly to realize this opportunity.

An open loop system allows for the direct use of geothermal energy stored in the aquifer and is comprised of a water supply well, an injection well and two monitoring wells. The open loop system is preferable because it is 10 to 15% more efficient than a closed loop geothermal system and is generally less expensive to construct.

Testing and Building Component Mock-Ups

In a non-COVID environment, staff would have had the opportunity to see the mock-ups of our building materials and finishes up close. Here are some examples of some of the models that have been created by the trades involved in the development of our office:

Water Wall – The mechanical trade responsible for the construction of the water components of the water walls set up a scaled down version of a woven metal panel to measure water coverage and confirm flow rates:

Building Cladding – The envelope trade produced a series of mock-ups to review the cedar shingle and planking patterns and wall assembly:

Exterior Blinds – The trade installing the exterior blinds installed a blind in collaboration with the envelope trade to show the relationship of the blind to the adjacent windows:

Exterior blind partially deployed

Windows – Critical to understanding the connections of the windows to the building cladding is the construction of window mock-ups. The window mock-up has been installed and reviewed for these connections as well as for the hardware:

Typical operable window

Radiant Ceiling Panels – The radiant ceiling panels are crucial for the success of the heating and cooling system. As such, reviewing the samples of the supplied product was an important part of the process:

Interior Finishes – As part of the trade submittal process each finish type is issued to the consultant team which is then arrayed for client review. The following sample panel is an example of the result:

Timeline

Progress is being made rapidly at the site and with roof construction now underway, the new office looks different on every visit. I would encourage you to take a look at our new administrative office building when you can.

Lastly, I want to also recognize the great work by TRCA staff to construct Black Creek Trail improvements including a large switchback connection to Shoreham and upgraded trails north into Black Creek Pioneer Village immediately west of our new head office. The upgraded trail connections and restoration sites along the corridor that have been supported through our Service Level Agreement with the City of Toronto are greatly appreciated by the nearby community.

Before -Top of Black Creek Trail, south of Shoreham Dr, looking south

After -Top of Black Creek Trail, south of Shoreham Dr, looking south

A big thank you to the head office team for their efforts to date to get us to this point. We look forward to updating you further as construction progresses.

Sincerely,

John MacKenzie, M.Sc.(Pl) MCIP, RPP
Chief Executive Officer
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA)