Ontario’s Centennial College Opens Its Trailblazing Mass Timber Building

Canada’s first LEED Gold, zero carbon, mass timber, higher-educational building located on the Centennial College campus is opening the doors to its trailblazing A-Building, according to an announcement from the College (8-13-23). Formerly known as A-Block, the new building establishes a new entryway to Centennial’s flagship Progress Campus located in Scarborough, Ontario, that supports Indigenous ways of being and teaching.

An Indigenous Working Group made vital contributions to the Indigenous elements of the building, as the College worked with Colliers Project Leaders, EllisDon Construction, DIALOG, and Smoke Architecture to deliver the approximately $112-million (CAD) project. The building is six stories tall and more than 130,000 square feet, and the expansion was accompanied by a 15,000-square-foot renovation.

Black spruce from Chibougamau, Quebec, figured prominently in the mass timber structure, with generous wood exposures showcased through its cross- and glue-laminated columns, beans, and floor slabs throughout.

The A-Building has achieved zero carbon certification thanks in large part to a highly efficient building envelope, along with all-electric domestic hot water heating and HVAC systems. A solar photovoltaic panel array on the roof will generate enough electricity to offset the facility’s electricity use by 68,000 kilowatt hours annually, which will contribute to its LEED Gold Certification. Floor-to-ceiling windows that let natural light into the space will support its WELL Silver certification.