The University of Toronto’s new 14-storey mass timber building, set to be one of the world’s largest mass timber buildings constructed for a university, is now “out of the ground,” with crews busy working on the lower floors.
Known as the “Academic Wood Tower,” the award-winning build is the work of Toronto-based Patkau Architects, MJMA Architecture & Design, with Ryan Going, the tower’s project manager, telling Daily Commercial News that “It’s a structural steel elevator and stair core that’s essentially hung from a mass timber exoskeleton and structure.”
Located at the Devonshire Place and Bloor Street intersection, the tower will serve the Rotman School of Management, the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy in the Faculty of Arts & Science, and the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education.
“The Academic Wood Tower will provide ample space to inspire our program’s participants as they work to explore and transform themselves, their organisations and their communities,” said Susan Christoffersen, the Dean of the Rotman School of Management.
The choice to use mass timber construction systems was the only choice, according to Sandra Hanington, vice-chair of the university’s governing council, who revealed in January that the building serves as a “best practice” case study for Toronto-based designers and engineers.
“(U & T’s) Academic Tower proves that we can reduce emissions, responsibly construct new buildings and contribute to the vibrant architectural fabric of a dense city like Toronto,” Ms Haanington said.
The latest update comes just weeks after Toronto planning officials reviewed and recommended that city officials green-light a 31-storey cross-laminated timber building in the heart of Toronto.
New Building Code Permits 18-Storey Timber Builds.
Toronto would soon allow encapsulated mass timber buildings to rise to 18 storeys after Ontario, like British Columbia, approved changes to its Building Code. Announced in April, Ontario’s Building Code will increase the allowable Encapsulated Mass Timber Construction by 50% from 12 storeys over the next few months to address the province’s housing shortage. Encapsulated buildings mean timber components are covered with fire-rated treatments, like drywall.
According to a statement by the Ontario government, mass timber construction has been proven to offer quieter and faster construction with the same fire and structural protection as other building methods – with mid-rise and high-rise construction a crucial part of Ontario’s Forest Sector Strategy.
Wood Central understands the changes apply to all residential, commercial and institutional buildings in the province, including Toronto, Canada’s most densely populated city, which ranks fourth in the world and first in North America for the number of skyscrapers under construction.
- Visit Wood Central’s special feature to learn more about the changes to the Building Code and the Canadian government’s push to use mass timber to solve its housing squeeze.
