The design and construction of the new headquarters of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) is a nod to the agency’s environmental work.

The $56-million structure, which took nine years to complete – partly delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic – officially opened in April. It’s an airy, open-concept, four-storey building that’s 86,000 square feet and made with mass timber – a low-carbon, fire-resistant construction material. The building has space for more than 350 employees, with meeting areas and an emergency operations centre.

“The TRCA building is certainly a conversation starter for mass-timber construction,” says Michael Sugar, director of zero carbon building at the Canada Green Building Council (CAGBC), an organization that supports the construction of low-carbon, net-zero structures.

Mass-timber construction is on the uptick in Canada, with a recent report revealing that nearly 700 projects have been completed across the country, while more than 140 are either under construction or in the planning stages.