George Brown College – Limberlost Place (previously: “The Arbour”), Toronto, ON, Canada

George Brown College’s latest addition, Limberlost Place (previously: “The Arbour”), will be Ontario’s first mass-timber, low-carbon institutional building. The 10-storey structure is planned as part of the Waterfront Campus; it was an award-winning design from an international competition.

The Arbour, containing a significant number of classrooms, will be home to Canada's first Tall Wood Research Institute, dedicated to sharing experience, ideas and research into solid wood construction. The building will also house George Brown's School of Computer Technology. Once the project is completed, students and researchers will learn how to design, build, operate and monitor climate-friendly buildings.

Transsolar worked collaboratively with the team to design a climate-responsive façade with an integrated ventilation concept that encourages flow of natural air and daylight into all student spaces.

The design features a steeply pitched rooftop and plenty of glazing to show off the mass-timber construction.
The Arbour’s structure was designed for intentional natural ventilation. All natural ventilation goes through the two breathing rooms, into the solar chimneys and exhausts out of the building. The chimneys thus create a natural convection by drawing air up and through the interior. A central atrium exposes a labyrinth of open walkways and stairs, allowing for circulation.

The building also features raised floors for mechanical ventilation, radiant panels for heating and cooling, triple glazed windows, and ceiling fans in nearly all spaces. Construction of The Arbour is set to begin in 2021.

2023 Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) Research and Innovation in Architecture Award!
2019 Azure Magazine Award Unbuilt Buildings
2019 MIPIM and Architectural Review Future Project Award – Sustainability Prize
2018 Rethinking the Future, Architecture + Construction Design Award – Institutional Concept
2018 Canadian Architect Award of Excellence