Centennial College opens A-Building
Centennial College has officially opened its A-Building, Canada's first LEED Gold, zero carbon, mass timber, higher-education building.
Formerly known as A-Block, the new building serves as a gateway to Centennial's flagship Progress Campus in Scarborough that supports Indigenous ways of being and teaching.
An Indigenous working group contributed to elements of the build as the college worked with Colliers Project Leaders, EllisDon Construction, DIALOG and Smoke Architecture to deliver the approximately $112-million project. Spanning six storeys and more than 130,000 square feet, the expansion was accompanied by a 15,000-square-foot renovation.
"At a time of increasing climate calamity, Centennial is eager to deepen its commitment to environmental stewardship," said college President and CEO Dr. Craig Stephenson. "Acknowledging the relationship between sustainability, Indigeneity and inclusivity was essential to creating a welcoming new gateway to Centennial's flagship campus. Intended to serve as a beacon of hope and a force for good, this new build embodies the journey we've all been on, and are still on, as individuals and as a college community, to fully recognize our Commitments to Truth and Reconciliation."
Indigenous ways of being and teaching are at the heart of A-Building, which is also home to administrative offices, collaborative areas, food services and space for the School of Engineering Technology and Applied Science. An interior courtyard serves as an outdoor classroom allowing teaching in a circle formation, among other flexible classrooms, while 13 rooms equipped with special exhaust fans make it possible for smudging to occur.
"Narratives imbedded throughout inspire curiosity, a focus for long-term knowledge sharing," said Eladia Smoke, Principal of Smoke Architecture. "This is a heart building, a place of becoming, where we acknowledge that our intentions have often been obscured but will come into focus when we walk true to our heart. The design represents a commitment to uphold our responsibilities to each other and to the life systems that support us, and express a sense of wonder for all our relations."
Black Spruce from Chibougamau, Quebec, figures prominently in the mass timber structure of the A-Building, with generous wood exposures showcased through its cross- and glue-laminated columns, beams and floor slabs throughout.
"From the college's inspired imagining of the building, and all through our design build team's efforts to bring that vision to life, there were so many contributors and everyone really wanted to emphasize the first-of-its-kind mass timber structure," said Dan Beadle from EllisDon Construction, who led the detailed design and construction of the building. "It not only speaks to the Indigenous ideal of living sustainably in harmony with nature, but also gives this truly special building such a warm, natural and inviting feel."
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.