Sustainable building design through passive measures

The 4 and 5 storey walkable T volume allows for daylight throughout the building, including a light well in the basement kitchen. The triple glazed window/wall ratio is 17% which allows for natural daylight and views to nature, and combined with the R50 roof and R23 walls provides excellent thermal performance. Green roofs on the lower rooftops, urban farming on the east roof and rainwater collection from the PV roofs contribute to effective site water management. Operable windows in the residence and offices allow for user comfort and ventilation. Deciduous trees placed near the building will contribute to summer shading and winter daylight. Bird frit on 85% of the windows and drought tolerant native planting promote biodiversity.

Efficient construction and operations

The hybrid cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glulam mass timber structure and exterior envelope system incorporates locally sourced CLT. Locally sourced compressed calcium silicate brick from Arriscraft also has reduced carbon during fabrication compared to a baked masonry. The rooftop PV array and geothermal installations contribute to renewable energy while all food preparation equipment building is electric. Zoned MEP and on-demand lighting in academic areas help reduce energy demands. Wherever financially possible, finishes were selected for recycled or partially recycled content. A lifecycle analysis compared to a concrete structure found a 37% carbon reduction.

Landscape & Biodiversity Integration

LCS partially sits on an existing parking lot. The remaining site, a fenced-off water intensive football pitch was locked and inaccessible to the public. The transformed gardens enhance the campus by surrounding the building with drought tolerant and native species with public access during the daytime. Green roofs and the urban farm create a multi-level landscape to enhance biodiversity on the site. Trinity sustainability students reviewed the plant palettes with an Indigenous knowledge keeper to select native species to the area. A future masterplan phase extends the landscape through the existing loading lane to the south to create a new pedestrian axis. Existing trees were preserved when possible and compensation trees planted on site.

Land use & Transformation

The existing site at Trinity College was a campus parking lot which was removed and an underutilized football pitch surrounded by a locked fence and inaccessible to the public. By incorporating the new LCS along with the surrounding landscape, it extends the public pedestrian network through the campus, creating usable public space for students and visitors. 51% of the site is maintained as open space and transformed into semi-public gardens. The urban farm will provide local food production for students to be incorporated into the school curriculum. While the land use designation has not changed, the urban impact of the project is significant for the campus and community.

Participatory Design

The early stages of the design included several workshops with the Trinity College staff, alumni, and students to get feedback on the design and layout. As part of developing the program and design both staff and students toured reference projects in the Netherlands with the design team, as well as researching the urban farm operations at the TMU farm. Students as part of the sustainability stream were involved in the landscape design and plant selection as part of their course and the design team incorporated their feedback into modifications to the planting selection. UofT Design Review Committee and municipal community reviews were met with resounding positive feedback for the transformation of both building and landscape.

Community Impact and Resilience

Enhancing Trinity's strong sense of community is facilitated by increasing the on-campus housing for students with 343 beds, while embodying and facilitating Trinity’s commitment to enhancing sustainability programs for students. Food education and learning about the global footprint of food production will contribute to fostering more awareness about becoming both local and global ambassadors for sustainability. A building dashboard displays the energy and water consumption in the building, providing a real-time register for students’ own impact on the building’s performance. The green roofs and rainwater storage contribute to site water management, paired with low LRV hardscape materials to reduce the urban heat island effect.

Financial Feasibility

LCS survived multiple rounds of value engineering to maintain financial viability and address the extreme inflation incurred since the pandemic. Some features (additional solar shading), material/product substitutions, and two residence grids were sacrificed to stay on budget, however the project is still projected to achieve certification targets. A robust fundraising campaign has successfully contributed to the financing for LCS, future operations, and programming. High upfront costs are offset by lower operational costs. The business model relies on rental income from the residence and event space opportunities outside of academic use. Part of the Holcim Award will fund a (VE’d) feature table made from salvaged site trees by a local woodworker.

Aesthetic Qualities and Cultural Integration

The decision to make a walkable T-volume in place of a 14-floor condo in the RFP was informed by a desire for a building which integrated into the historic campus and urban block. And more roof = more area for farming and PVs! The local masonry cladding was selected for proximity but also because the masonry gives a contemporary look while the colour range fits well with the existing limestone buildings. LCS frames the edge of campus while the new gardens extend the courtyard and forecourt landscape in a contemporary way and will create an improved connection to Philosopher's Walk and the future pedestrian axis. Creating a vibrant high-quality building and landscape will provide an exemplar for sustainability to the campus for generations to come.