25-55 St Clair Avenue East Rehabilitation Project

The 25-55 St. Clair Avenue East Rehabilitation Project is a pilot project in the Canada Green Building Council’s (CGBC) Zero Carbon Initiative and is the Federal Government’s flagship for sustainable building. In order to meet the Government of Canada’s commitment to sustainable design and construction, this project is set to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by almost 80% and save over 700 tonnes of Co2 a year by incorporating high-efficiency building systems, a geo-thermal installation, and photovoltaic panels. This major 10-storey renovation includes a com-plete envelope replacement and an extensive 495,000 SF interior renovation involving all me-chanical and electrical system upgrades.
In pursuit of LEED Gold and WELL Silver certifications, sustainable building measures include a Geo Exchange System that will use a heat pump to concentrate the earth’s thermal energy and transfer it back to the interior space. The new geothermal field will include 58 ground source boreholes, drilled 150 meters under the existing building garage, and helps the project team target the Government of Canada’s commitment to a reduced carbon footprint. The geothermal installation provides exposure and understanding to the process of permit applications and logistics required for drilling the vertical popping loops when approaching 600 ft depths.
As part of the initiative to employ innovation and accessible technologies, the building will be part of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind’s (CNIB) program which allows visually impaired individuals the opportunity to independently navigate within a neighbourhood with the use of Bluetooth-enabled personal devices.

Urbacon was tasked with the unique challenge of preserving what was possible of the existing 1950s building, while improving function and performance. The building was contaminated with asbestos, lead and mould throughout all levels of the existing structure. However, to allow for reduced landfill and energy use, the floors, roof, and columns have been kept.

Thanks to Urbacon stressing the importance of pre-construction efforts before the 25-55 St. Clair Avenue East Rehabilitation Project, we were able to avoid major setbacks, time restraints and avoid expensive change orders. With the proper due diligence, Urbacon has been able to limit any unforeseen problems and challenges.