Icon Architects Designs North America's Tallest Timber Building in Toronto
Alberto Zancanella
MBA @BBS | Export manager DACH, China and ASEAN area for DDCHEM
Icon Architects unveiled the design of a 90 meters tall timber tower in Toronto, Canada, which would become, once completed, North America's tallest building made of wood. Named the "191-199 College Street," the project is aligned with the master plan led by Alison Brooks Architects, Adjaye Associates, Henning Larsen, and SLA to develop Toronto's Waterfront that seeks to turn the Canadian city into a hub of affordable housing, robust public spaces, and new business opportunities. The construction of the CLT tower will cut over 3,300 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions and accommodate around 400 affordable rental units.
Located near the University of Toronto, the 31-story tower will replace a group of existing buildings to provide 494 purpose-built residential rental units. Of the 19,900 square meters, over 80 percent will be secured as affordable housing for 40 years; the remaining will be dedicated to standard market rentals. The decision to preserve the four three-story "house-form" semi-detached buildings is an effort to keep the Edwardian architectural heritage and set the pedestrian scale in a city that's on its way to becoming a high-rise Mega City.
The facade design comprises Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) pallets, a high-strength and lightweight cladding with a layer of solar cells. The pixelated exterior will create an animated and dynamic look under ever-changing light conditions, with shades of grey to provide levels of reflectivity.
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Although the Ontario building code has not approved the structural design, Icon Architects is working with the Canadian Wood Council on a proposal that can exceed the current regulation that dictates a maximum of 12-storey mass-timber buildings. Similarly, for the construction of the HoHo Tower in Vienna and Brock Commons in Vancouver, new rules were suggested to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), stating that wooden buildings with concrete cores would be defined as wood-concrete hybrids.
New regulations on what defines a timber building would open the discussion about the world-tallest: The Mj?st?rnet in Norway, made entirely from timber products, has a record of 85.4-meters; Schmidt Hammer Lassen has revealed its design for a 100-meter-tall housing block in Switzerland, replacing the concrete core with wood; Nikken is working on a 350-meter tall wooden super high-rise in Tokio, made of 90% wood and the rest being steel. But one thing is certain, the ability to create mass buildings out of timber is a benchmark for sustainable construction. These projects are breaking common misconceptions about the capabilities and affordability of wooden structures.
Field Engineer telecommunications
2 年Smart thinking people, keep up the good work.
Founder and Principal - Antenora Architecture and Yakū | Shima Maker Workshop- Custom Furniture Design and Fabrication
2 年Great article. I admire the effort to push the envelope on this construction method, the intent of using it to provide affordable housing, and it’s a handsome building as well. I would love to hear more about the specifics of how the use of timber offsets the greenhouse gases, (less concrete and steel?) as well as how this construction type (if more widely adopted) can be sustained/managed at a large scale without over harvesting and further denuding forests. While we now possess methods to sustainable manage forests, regrowth, etc with current demand, can it be scaled up without negative effects on air quality, greenhouse gases and global warming? Can anyone suggest any other articles on these topics? Thx!
Advancing low carbon, sustainable building practices. COPP Net Zero.
2 年It is outstanding how you are pushing the envelope on so many fronts: affordable housing, lower operational carbon, lower embodied carbon, friendlier, (tall building merged with existing pedestrian scale buildings) and a unique memorable exterior. Really like it and yes creative mass timber structures like yours are an important part of a lower carbon future. Question: How does the embodied carbon footprint of 191-199 College compare with a traditional concrete condo? In addition to using mass timber what other decisions were made that will reduce the building's carbon footprint?
Innovator at Green Cooling and Energy Regeneration
2 年Interesting