Leading developers are proving what’s possible in green buildings

Since the Toronto Green Standard (TGS) was implemented 15 years ago, thousands of buildings in the city have been built to meet the first, mandatory tier. Contrary to some assertions that green standards slow down development, there has been no impact to housing starts or affordability, and many developers are finding that greener buildings have a higher value and lower vacancy rate.

The result has been improved quality and performance of new buildings overall, but the TGS has also motivated leading developers to push the envelope and innovate. While all buildings are required to meet the Tier 1 design standards, about 15% of projects have voluntarily targeted Tier 2 or higher levels of performance. High-performance technologies like geothermal heat pumps have gone from niche to mainstream. Professional service providers like architects and energy modelers, and tradespeople like HVAC designers, are upskilling and capitalizing on business opportunities.

“Big developers” in the city sometimes get a bad rap for building cheaply or being greedy. New development is certainly under pressure, and there are complex dynamics at play that make profitability challenging for this industry. More than ever, the cutting-edge companies who can innovate and move with the times are being rewarded. Champions in the industry are differentiating themselves and rising to the top – we’re celebrating just a few of them here:

Bayside

Hines, Tridel

Four new buildings make up the Bayside community, Toronto’s first LEED-ND Gold neighborhood. Led by Hines, in partnership with Tridel, these buildings form a new community in a formerly industrial area along the waterfront. The neighbourhood is made up of four residential buildings, two mass timber office buildings (both pursuing LEED® Gold Certification), and a waterfront promenade and park as well as commercial and retail spaces.

Two of the four residential buildings have already been certified to Tier 2 of the TGS (certification happens 12-18 months after occupancy and must be completed by a third party) and have LEED® Platinum Certification, which the other buildings are pursuing. Some of the standout sustainability features include:

• Thermal breaks at the balconies to minimize thermal bridging and maintain a continuous insulated building envelope.
• High efficiency irrigation, where rainwater is captured from rooftops and terraces and is stored in an underground cistern before it is fed through the system.
• An energy recovery ventilator in every suite, allowing for fresh air and simultaneously recovering 60-70% of the energy of outgoing air.

 

The Keeley

TAS, Teeple Architects

Developed by TAS with support from Teeple Architects, The Keeley is a 363-unit condo across from Downsview Park. With three TTC stations and a GO train station in the area, Downsview Park has been designated as a Major Transit Station Area and has big redevelopment plans in its future to accommodate increased density. The building has achieved TGS Tier 2 certification, with a number of notable sustainability features, including:

• High performance glazing and well-insulated exterior walls make the building more efficient and reduce energy waste for a total of more than 27% energy cost savings.
• Individual metering of electricity, water, heating and cooling consumption, coupled with programmable thermostats in every suite to reduce energy waste at off-peak hours.
• Eight charging stations for hybrid and electric vehicles, plus electrical rough-ins for future installation.

 

1925 Victoria Park Ave

Well Grounded Real Estate, Partisans

While there many projects already complete and underway that go above and beyond the mandatory TGS Tier, there’s one that is aiming high – to the very top, to be precise. 1925 Victoria Park Ave., by Well Grounded Real Estate, in partnership with Partisans, is aiming to complete the first Tier 4 building in the city. “With this project, we hope to demonstrate not only that such projects are economically viable but superior to current standards of building,” according to Well Grounded Real Estate.

The building is aiming to be complete by August 2027, just about two years after construction is slated to begin (fall 2025). According to Gabriel Diamond, vice-president of Well Grounded, long-term operational efficiency and costs are paramount; “Because we intend to operate it, the life-cycle costs are critical and future-proofing the building is critical.” Just how are they proposing to reach TGS Tier 4? Take a look at some of the building’s proposed sustainability features:

• Built using CREE, a hybrid timber system, they plan to drastically reduce construction time. The panels will be produced by a local manufacturer and should cut embodied carbon by 32%.
• The building will be fully electric, utilize a ground source heat pump, and heating and cooling will be separate from the ventilation for energy efficiency.
• They plan to optimize the design to maximize daylight and minimize heat gain in the units through creative massing. Light will filter through both sides of a unit, supporting cross ventilation, thanks to exterior single-loaded corridors and a central courtyard.

 

Building green means saving green. The City of Toronto offers a number of incentives to encourage building above the mandatory TGS Tier. In addition to a partial development charge refund for verified Tier 2 or higher projects, there are also low interest loans available. In many cases, these can also be combined with federal or provincial green building incentives for qualifying projects.

Residents of these buildings can enjoy lower utility costs, more comfortable living, and resilient homes. While we work to scale up building retrofits to improve the quality of our existing buildings, it’s equally important that we build them with greater energy efficiency. Green development standards like the TGS don’t inhibit construction, innovation, or affordability – they increase and expand developers’ efforts to build better.