Ontario’s first mass timber commercial building in over 100 years, 80 Atlantic pioneers a new urban office typology for potentially many more timber-frame projects across the province, and the country. Comprising four storeys of mass timber above a one-storey concrete podium, the 8,825-sq.m. (95,000-sq.ft.) building completes a courtyard with 60 Atlantic to create a paired commercial development. Revisions to the Ontario Building Code in 2015 made it possible to build commercial wood buildings up to six storeys high. The developer and architect saw this as an opportunity to demonstrate leadership in the rapidly developing field of mass timber, and to attract tenants seeking a premium workplace environment associated with innovation and sustainability. The client requested that the building harmonize with the Liberty Village neighbourhood, noted for its wealth of converted factories and warehouses, which attract high-calibre, creative tenants in this section of downtown Toronto.
CWC
