The University of Toronto announced plans to build a new timber-framed tower above the north end of the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sports a little more than a year ago. It was designed by Patkau Architects of Vancouver and MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects of Toronto per Urban Toronto. Plans were submitted to the City later that year for rezoning to permit the 14 storey building on Devonshire Place just south of Bloor Street.
Plans were re-submitted this week for the wood tower after the City staff wanted a number of minor revisions to the building's internal components as well as changes to the project's massing and exterior envelope.
The tower's relationship with the Goldring Centre below has been modified. A faceted tower base has been expanded and puts more focus on the glass reveal framing angled supports that extend the design of the existing Goldring Centre. This new reveal section now matches the Goldring Centre's height to create less of a visual separation between the base and tower above.
The glazed exterior framing wood structural elements have been partially replaced by a Concrete Skin Panel Wall exterior in a timber or sandstone color finish along the south, east and west facade. No changes have been made to the north facade.
When the new plans get approved, the building's mass timber frame (8 storeys taller than the maximum of six storeys for timber buildings permitted in the Ontario Building Code) would require a site-specific amendment to the OBC to move forward. The realization of the new tower could happen rather quickly due to the fact that the recently built Goldring Centre has been engineered to support the load of a tower at its north end.
The building would include the following features:
- New classrooms
- Study areas
- Research labs
- Meeting rooms
- Offices
- Dining and event spaces for the U of T's Rotman School of Business, the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, the Mathematical Finance Program. and faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education
According to Blog To, the new academic wood tower will be the tallest of its kind in North America at 14 storeys (just slightly taller than George Brown's forthcoming Arbour building along Toronto's waterfront.
Per University of Toronto, wood building has been increasing in popularity due to its low carbon footprint, fire safety and faster construction time. Recognizing the benefits of building with timber, the Ontario and federal governments are providing funding for buildings that use the material. U of T's wood tower will be financed in part by those government subsidies and through university funds and philanthropy.
The Goldring Centre was designed and built with the structural integrity to be the base for the tower so there will be no need to dig deeper in order to build the taller structure.
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