Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Waterfront Innovation Centre designed (WIC) by Sweeny&Co Architects for Menkes Developments and BentallGreenOak optimizes access to natural daylighting, outdoor open space amenities, uninterrupted views of the lake, and connectivity to the broader Waterfront Community.
Waterfront Innovation Center has been awarded a 2023 Green Good Design Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
Divided across two mid-rise buildings and connected by a bridge, the 431,000 square foot facility is one of Canada’s first LEED v4.1 Platinum-certified developments, incorporating district heating and cooling, optimized natural daylighting, on-site energy generation, a high-performing curtain wall envelope, underfloor air distribution systems, and rainwater harvesting.
WIC’s mid-rise form created efficient 35,500 square-foot floorplates arranged around a central core.
Daylight is optimized with over 90% of the leasable floorplate within 40 feet of the perimeter glazing, achieving an average of 85% and 89% continuous daylight in each of the buildings.
Photo-electric sensors along the perimeter take advantage of daylight harvesting, and high-performance glazing with a low Solar Heat Gain Coefficient reduces thermal gains.
WIC is equipped with cycle storage and changeroom facilities to encourage reductions in vehicle use and promote active living.
The building features seven outdoor terraces, with pressurized vestibules to each, maintaining indoor air quality and reducing infiltration of pollutants.
Enhanced sound-attenuating glass along the north façade reduces environmental noise.
The Waterfront Innovation Centre features a raised floor with underfloor air delivery. Individual air diffusers are provided for personal control of thermal comfort and to minimize fan/cooling energy use.
Cooling air is delivered into the space at a higher temperature than traditional overhead air supply, extending the free-cooling period.
This, accompanied by enhanced building insulation, HVAC heat recovery, and a Deep Lake Water district energy system, supports the LEED Zero Carbon operations of the building.
Coupled with a heat recovery system for all ventilation air, high-efficiency boilers, and variable frequency drive pumps, the Waterfront Innovation Centre achieves a 49% reduction in winter heating and a 23% reduction in summer cooling over a standard office building.
Low-flow plumbing fixtures and rainwater harvesting of rainwater are reused in toilets and for irrigating the green roof, contributing to a 42 percent reduction in indoor water use, and a 62 percent reduction in outdoor water use over a standard office.
20 percent of all building materials have environmental, economic, and socially preferred life-cycle impacts.
With over 81 percent of all construction waste being diverted from landfills utilizing separate waste and recycled materials streams.
The Waterfront Innovation Centre is an excellent model for integrating the office program with sustainable systems, proactive design, and amenities.
Project: Waterfront Innovation Center
Architects: Sweeny&Co Architects Inc.
Clients: Menkes Developments and BentallGreenOak
Photographers: Paul Casselman
