University of Toronto’s St. George Campus to Be Home to Tallest Academic Timber Structure in Canada

The University of Toronto’s (U of T) St. George Campus will soon be home to the new Academic Wood Tower, Urban Toronto reported (6-7-24). When completed in 2026, the 14-story building will become the tallest academic timber structure in Canada and one of the tallest mass timber and steel hybrid buildings in North America.

The tower was designed by renowned Canadian firms Patkau Architects and MJMA Architecture & Design, in collaboration with Blackwell Structural Engineers and Smith + Andersen. This is the same team that worked on U of T’s Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport, which included the tower’s foundation and basement as part of its construction. Once completed, the tower is expected to stand 74.5 meters tall and extend over 127,000 ft².

The project, managed by Pomerleau, represents an ambitious vision for the future of sustainable architecture. It aims to set a global benchmark for tall mass timber construction, with the U of T leading the way in environmental responsibility and cutting-edge design.

The tower features a unique hybrid structural design. Ryan Going, project manager at Pomerleau, told Daily Commercial News that “It’s a structural steel elevator and stair core that’s essentially hung from a mass timber exoskeleton and structure.”

Even before its completion, the Academic Wood Tower has garnered significant attention for its potential to serve as a case study in sustainable design. The building’s construction process, using pre-manufactured components, ensures efficient assembly on-site, minimizing disruption in the busy Bloor Street cultural corridor.

The project has received substantial support from the Government of Canada’s Green Construction through Wood (GCWood) program, reflecting a national commitment to innovative, low-carbon building technologies. “The Government of Canada’s Green Construction through Wood program is supporting more sustainable Canadian materials for the construction industry,” noted Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources.