Fengate Asset Management and the University of Toronto Scarborough say Harmony Commons Student Residence has achieved Passive House Classic certification. At 24,620 square metres, Harmony Commons is the largest building in Canada to receive Passive House Classic certification. With the LiUNA Pension Fund of Central and Eastern Canada (LPFCEC) – under the Labourers’ International Union of North America – Fengate partnered with U of T Scarborough to develop the student residence with 746 beds.

Fengate says a Passive House building is designed to use less energy for heating and cooling compared to conventional buildings. Passive House is regarded as the industry’s leading voluntary standard for energy-focused design and construction. U of T Scarborough’s Harmony Commons has highly efficient insulation, airtight construction, and carefully designed windows and ventilation systems. In addition to the reduced carbon emissions of building to the Passive House standard, savings in operational costs offset the additional expenses associated with construction.

“Achieving Passive House certification for Harmony Commons is the embodiment of LiUNA and Fengate’s values of sustainability and community,” said Jaime McKenna, president of Fengate Real Estate.

Fengate says its partnership with the university involved a debt investment to fund the construction, and an equity take-out to purchase an interest in the project along with a long-term land lease. U of T owns the land and operates the student residence.

The nine-storey building welcomed its first students in September 2023 with amenities including an integrated dining hall, common lounge and study space on each floor, outdoor roof garden and terrace, community kitchen, laundry facilities, indoor bicycle storage, and more.