Ontario’s First Mass-Timber, Net-Zero Institutional Building Closer to Completion

Limberlost Place, Ontario, Canada’s first mass-timber, net-zero carbon emissions institutional building, has now reached the highest point in construction. The final wood and steel beams were installed in the 10-story facility located at George Brown College’s Waterfront campus in Toronto’s growing east Bayfront community.

To celebrate the topping off milestone, project partners and the trades workforce signed a beam earlier this summer before it was lifted into place at the top of the building.

Limberlost Place’s structure was completed using an intricate installation method including a sequence where each mass-timber column and cross-laminated slab band would be placed. The structure includes three, three-story mass-timber columns, which are among some of the largest in North America.

Topping off signifies a shift in focus to completing the exterior envelope, starting the interior fit-up (including the installation of other mass-timber pieces, such as the learning landscape feature stairs) and commissioning the building.

Designed by Acton Ostry Architects and Moriyama Teshima Architects with PCL Construction managing construction, Limberlost Place will be home to GBC’s schools of architectural studies and computer technology, and the Brookfield Sustainability Institute. Students will learn in and from this innovative and future-proof facility. Its design and construction surpasses the Toronto Green Standard for reduced carbon emissions, and is changing national and provincial building codes for mass-timber buildings over six stories.

Fast facts

• Limberlost Place’s structure consists of made-in-Canada mass-timber components and a structural steel core
• 139 cross-laminated timber and concrete composite slab bands were prefabricated at an offsite facility before being shipped to site for final installation
• Weighing 17,000 pounds each, the cross-laminated timber pieces were prepared with kerf plates, screws, rebar, concrete, M&E sleeves, roof anchors and column bases
• The slab bands were piled in order of installation, indicating the exact spot where each timber piece would be installed in the building
• Limberlost Place’s structure is made up of approximately 1,190 pieces of cross laminated timber and 571 glue-laminated mass-timber pieces
• The total volume of cross-laminated timber is 3,310 cubic meters
• The total volume of glue-laminated timber is 822 cubic meters
• The structure uses 5,850 cubic meters of concrete
• Limberlost Place has over 22,306 unique steel components

Project team
Owner: George Brown College
Architect: Moriyama Teshima Architects in joint venture with Acton Ostry Architects
Construction manager: PCL Constructors Canada Inc.
Mass timber: Nordic Structures
Structural engineer: Fast + Epp
Mechanical and electrical engineer: Introba
Structural steel Design-Assist: Walters Group
Building envelope: Morrison Hershfield
Sustainability consultant: Transsolar

Click here to view topping off of structure.