Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario Headquarters

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Located in downtown Toronto, this four-storey building was carefully shaped and sculpted to fit comfortably into its tight urban site. A facade of glazing, fibre-cement panels, and vertical sunshade fins reduce solar gains. For the south and west facades, late-day solar gains are countered by a fully automated exterior shading blind system — one of the first large-scale applications in Canada. Targeting LEED® Platinum, the building features numerous green building practices including a green roof and geothermal heating and cooling system. In order to meet the project’s schedule, Bird installed the geothermal system after the structure was completed. Work involved drilling 84 holes, 150-metres deep under the basement parking garage. This is the first project application of this new drilling technology in Ontario. The system ties into a space heating/cooling network consisting of hydronic capillary mats installed in the ceiling grid. The mats are composed of five-millimetre polypropylene tubes carrying water for heating and cooling. On a tight downtown Toronto site with only one access point for the site and no place for material laydown, all deliveries were handled on a just-in-time basis. The close proximity of residential homes abutting the site required the team to work with the Upper Jarvis Neighbourhood Association. Through town hall meetings and monthly newsletters, Bird ensured the community was kept informed of the project’s progress.

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