BY: PETER NGUYEN

Cities often have a negative connotation of being a concrete jungle filled with large grey infrastructure. The Toronto and Regional Conservation Authority (TRCA), along with the City of Toronto and other municipalities part of the TRCA, hope to be one of the leaders to change that. In 2017 the TRCA approved to build a new green TRCA head office. It is literally green! The TRCA building’s structure will be a hybrid of wood and concrete, with the interior being heavily made of wood, from the walls to the floors and stairs.

The new office will be located at 5 Shoreham Drive, on a piece of land right off our Black Creek ravine. The office will have walking trails open to the public. It also provides a unique opportunity for local educational institutions such as C.W Jefferys and York University to collaborate.

A building where most of the structure is made of wood raises safety concerns such as fire prevention and rot. However, the TRCA and its many contracting partners, each specializing in different aspects essential to a building’s operation, from the building's plumbing to electrical, assure us that the new building will meet all of Ontario’s wood building codes.

The TRCA originally had a head office at 5 Shoreham drive in the 1970s and recently moved to a temporary office in Vaughan. The new office, once open, will include green space on the roof with solar panels, rainwater harvesting systems, and what is said to be the grand spectacle of the building, 4 waterwalls inside the atrium of the building.

The TRCA is one of 36 conservation authorities in Ontario responsible for conserving, protecting, and educating communities on watersheds. The new green head office will be a spectacular addition to the community.