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Photo credit: Moriyama Teshima ArchitectsThe new Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF/FEESO) Headquarters and Multi-Tenant Commercial Building, designed by Moriyama Teshima Architects has officially opened, overlooking the Don Valley ravine in Toronto, Ontario.OSSTF is a mass timber facility that ensures that the OSSTF Headquarters and Multi-Tenant Commercial Building operates as a hub that supports public education in Ontario, provides healthy workplace environments for its staff and visitors, and meets the organizations goals of financial resiliency.The three-storey, mass timber, 127,000-square-foot facility is centred on the OSSTF Headquarters. The OSSTF represents all the educators, educational assistants, psychologists, secretaries, speech-language pathologists, social workers, plant support personnel, attendance counselors and many other education professionals in the secondary school system in the province.Built of cross laminated timber (CLT) floor slabs and glue laminated timber (GLT) beams and columns, structural components have been sourced nationally where possible.The central atrium is the buildings key design feature where everyone in the building can connect to each other and connect to nature, ultimately making for a healthier working environment for all who visit and work here, said Carol Phillips, partner, Moriyama Teshima Architects.The building offers outside views, light, openness, and various opportunities for interactions between the OSSTF staff and tenants.Shareable spaces on the ground floor include the lobby, caf, and ground floor terrace, and features a multipurpose, convertible event space. These amenities will be shared not only by the building occupants, but also by external groups.Generous structural bays provide optimal sizes for offices and corridors, and maximize the amount of natural daylight to reach the interiors. A fresh air strategy also ensures air moves through the building at a regular rate using building automation systems.Large overhangs reduce solar heat gain and control glare and geothermal heating, while a rainwater harvesting system for toilet flushing and irrigation, green roof, rooftop solar PV panels, and automated daylight dimming controls further contribute to significant energy savings.The Don Valley ravine edge on which the building is located has also undergone intensive restoration and stabilization through naturalization and water balance procedures.All design decisions for the new OSSTF Headquarters and Multi-Tenant Commercial Building were assessed for long-term value, health and wellness of employees, and operational savings.The post Moriyama Teshima Architects designs new mass timber project in Toronto appeared first on Canadian Architect.
