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D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 3 | 49 T3 Sterling Road R EN D ER I N GS CO U RT E S Y D L R G RO U P T3 STERLING ROAD by ROBIN BRUNET T he T3 (Timber, Transit, Technology) building model has been credited as a pre- ferred alternative for tenants who are drawn to brick-and-beam offices in vibrant locations, and, who require an office that has the features and specifications of a brand-new build- ing to help them attract and retain the next generation of talent. Developer Hines has spearheaded the development of more than 25 T3 projects around the world, the lat- est being (in collaboration with Hazelview Investments) T3 Sterling Road, a mass-timber creative office development across three buildings in Toronto's highly transit connected Lower Junction neighbourhood. Alexandra Khazzam, manag- ing director at Hines, summarizes the company's passion for T3 by stat- ing that it "brings environmental and social sustainability to the work- place in a sophisticated, elegant way. Made with rapidly renewable, sus- tainably sourced timber, T3 buildings are clean and quick to construct and poised to meet global climate goals." Moreover, "T3's natural wood inte- rior, paired with wellness-inspired amenities and an exceptional tech- nology platform, creates a unique work environment that fosters pro- ductivity and sparks innovation," says Khazzam. At Sterling Road, this translates to features such as private balconies at every level, rooftop ter- races, employee lounges, collaboration areas, a private park, a state-of-the- art fitness centre, and best-in-class end-of-trip facilities for cyclists. With 12-foot ceilings on every floor, the building's interior recreates the aesthetic of brick-and-beam industrial buildings while performing at the highest levels of operating efficiency. "T3 Sterling Road is the true defi- nition of next-generation office space. Combining timber, transit, and tech- nology, we're creating a workplace that is healthy for the planet and enables the modern creative work- force that occupies it," adds Khazzam. Stephen Cavanaugh, design leader/ principal at DLR Group (a long-time partner of Hines), notes that neigh- bourhoods in which T3 developments are located act as a significant design influence. "Our Sterling Road prop- erty sat amid a brewery, a bookstore, and a hulking art museum, to name just a few structures. Early on we decided that our project would act as a transition between the relatively small bookstore and other build- ings, and the very large museum. This would reinforce the human scale of this vibrant district." Both Hines and DLR were attuned to the fact that it's still a challenge to lure people back to work in this post-COVID era, so T3 Sterling Road designed a large communal social workspace on the building's ground floor that would act as a central and infor- mal gathering area for all tenants. Cavanaugh adds, "Hines had devel- oped a park between the museum and our property, so we created an overflow patio space as well as space for a potential retail tenant, plus we oriented our social work space to face the park, all with the inten- tion of maximizing the use of this outdoor area and promoting peo- ple interaction." The park will also be activated year-round in part- nership with the neighbouring Museum of Contemporary Art, pro- viding exciting opportunities for tenants and the community to con- nect with the local arts community. One of the biggest challenges of the design was that one of the three exposed mass timber buildings (the west building) was eight storeys tall, but the current code doesn't allow for any such building taller than six storeys. "So, we had to find a path towards code compliance, and this meant gathering all data on the safety of mass timber structures and pre- senting it to the City of Toronto, which, after a detailed review, gave us the go-ahead," Cavanaugh says. As for exterior accents, Cavanaugh notes that, "We liked the aesthetic appeal of brick but not its weight, so we opted for a metal skin that exhibited a machine-shed turn of the century industrial look." With regard to fulfilling LEED Gold objectives, Cavanaugh says, "A high performing envelope of super-insulated metal panels and high-performance glazing con- tributed to the designation, as did the green roof area with occupy- able roof terraces, as well as, of course, the timber and highly effi- cient power and heating systems." The timber structure, which is enough to sequester 3,646 metric tons of carbon, is primarily made from dowel-laminated timber deck- ing and cross-laminated timber columns and beams. EllisDon broke ground in the fall of 2021, and by summer of the following year clad- ding was nearing completion on the six and eight storey buildings, the latter of which has a west wall angled to follow the southeastward course of the West Toronto Railpath. EllisDon also undertook what is standard for T3 mass timber con- struction: a layer of Blue Skin applied to the exposed timber frame, which creates an airtight vapour bar- rier and protects the timber during construction. This was followed by a layer of standard insulation, and then the insulating materi- als were topped with the metal framing that allows the cladding panels to be fixed to the building. Cavanaugh summarizes the senti- ments of his colleagues by saying, "I can't wait to see everything finished and people using the buildings. This is a new standard for office environ- ments in a post-pandemic world." A LOCATION 150 and 152 Sterling Road, Toronto, Ontario OWNER /DEVELOPER Hines and Hazelview Investments ARCHITECTS DLR Group / WZMH Architects GENER AL CONTR ACTOR EllisDon STRUCTUR AL CONSULTANT Magnusson Klemencic Associates MECHANICAL CONSULTANT The Mitchell Partnership ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Mulvey & Banani L ANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Janet Rosenberg & Studio TOTAL SIZE 423,452 square feet TOTAL COST Undisclosed

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