Ontario Construction News staff writer
Developer Hines has started construction for the first building in its T3 Sterling Road mass timber-framed office complex in Toronto’s Junction Triangle neighbourhood.
Chicago’s DLR Group has designed the project with WZMH Architects, DataBid.com reports. The project site is a block south of Bloor Street West near Lansdowne Avenue.
Urban Toronto reports that T3 Sterling Road is the second Toronto addition to Hines’ global portfolio of mass timber developments under the T3 banner. This project follows the recently started T3 Bayside, which will soon rise above grade in the city’s East Bayfront area.
“Hines’ strategy has always been to invest in and deliver best-in-class, amenity-forward office spaces in key neighbourhoods, including right here in the trendy and vibrant Junction Triangle of Toronto,” Syl Apps III, Hines’ senior managing director, said in a statement. “We’re proud to be bringing the T3 model to Toronto for a second time. It’s a concept that has a proven track record worldwide in helping our tenants attract and retain talent.”
Hines also began construction on the CIBC Square North Tower this year. Hines’ trio of current projects represent two million sq. ft. of new office space for Toronto.
“The official start of construction at T3 Sterling Road is an important milestone for the vibrant Junction Triangle, a growing neighborhood that is one of the most highly connected in our city.” Toronto deputy mayor Ana Bailao said in the statement. “The new mass timber project will sustainably contribute to the growth of this area not only through new employment and retail, but through much-needed improvements to the public realm. This incudes new parks and improved roadways that will make connectivity safer and more accessible for all.”
The Sterling Road complex will eventually consist of three buildings with a combined 415,000 sq. ft. of space, designed with health, safety, and wellness. Partnerships with The Well Living Lab, Delos, and the Mayo Clinic will allow for advanced technologies that reduce the risk of respiratory virus transmission throughout the workplace. The project will also be LEED and WELL certified and will have an open green space and park co-programmed with the adjacent Museum of Contemporary Art.
The project will feature creative office space and target tenants in knowledge industries such as technology, advertising, media and professional services with high quality independent retail on the ground floors, Hines says.
Amenities will include: Social workspaces, tenant collaboration areas, rooftop terraces, private balconies on each floor, floor-to-ceiling warehouse windows to maximize natural light, a fitness centre and bike storage, and “end-of-trip facilities”.
T3 Sterling Road has combined timber, transit and technology and created a workplace that is healthy for the planet. The development is also within walking distance to two key TTC Bloor subway line stops, three streetcar routes, a GO Train stop, the UP Express, the West Toronto Railpath and the new Bloor-Landsdowne SmartTrack Station.
DataBid is also currently reporting on T3 Bayside Commercial Buildings – Toronto (0028032819).