TORONTO-DOMINION CENTRE

*nb: While Mies van der Rohe contribued the original design of the buildings, a series of intensive retrofits have taken place to bring this project to its current sustainable standards. Recent contributors include Gerrie Electric and Green Reason.

Description:

The Toronto-Dominion Centre is one of North America’s largest business communities and home to 21,000 office employees. Due to its visionary design [by Mies van der Rohe], unequalled size and central location, this cultural landmark has played a significant role in the success of a generation of Canada’s most innovative and extraordinary business leaders. 

The TD centre consists of six buildings: Toronto Dominion Bank Tower, 77 King Street West, 100 Wellington Street West, TD Waterhouse Tower, Ernst & Young Tower and 95 Wellington Street West. 

The TD Centre has continuously reduced its overall energy use since 2008 by installing automatic lighting controls, state-of-the-art building automation controls, real-time energy monitoring and lighting retrofits. In addition to following a range of sustainable purchasing policies, the complex enforces strict waste diversion and sorting plans. At least 75 percent of the general waste produced at the building is diverted from landfills, and at least 70 percent of construction waste must also be diverted. Smoking is prohibited within 25 feet of any building entrance or air intake. Green cleaning policies mandate the use of environmentally friendly cleaning products and supplies. The building undergoes an annual air quality assessment and immediate action is taken on any potential sources of contaminants. Construction areas are isolated from the rest of the building and the space is flushed out with fresh air before it is re-occupied. 

The Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited announced [in June 2012] that its Toronto-Dominion Centre complex tower at 100 Wellington Street West is the first in Toronto to achieve LEED® Platinum Certification under the Existing Buildings. 

“It takes a motivated property manager and tenants, and a dedicated operations and maintenance staff to achieve this level of certification, and we are proud to be part of such a forward-thinking team at TD Centre,” said Peter Halsall, Chairman of Halsall Associates, who have worked with TD Centre as green building consultants since 2008. 

This first-of-its-kind certification in Toronto is recognition of the interconnected thinking and occupant engagement at this iconic Toronto landmark.” LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a third-party certification program and an internationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. To achieve LEED® Platinum EB: O&M Certification, TD Centre had to meet strict, measurable benchmarks and earn credits in five categories – Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy & Atmosphere, Materials & Resources, and Indoor Environmental Quality. TD Centre is in close proximity to the King Street streetcar line and St. Andrew and Union Subway Stations, enabling more than 75 percent of the building occupants to arrive at the building by public transit. TD Centre has also partnered with Zipcar to encourage green transportation, in addition to providing public bike racks for more than 400 bicycles. Cadillac Fairview’s ongoing effort to reduce potable water consumption has led to an extensive washroom upgrade program including the replacement of faucets, toilets, and urinals with new high-performance fixtures. The $250,000 in upgrades will reduce water use by as much as 30 percent. [1]

[in 2016] An interiors project for TD Bank headquarters, located in the TD Centre in downtown Toronto, recently became the world’s first project certified under v1 of the WELL Building Standard. What turned out to be a 18-month long process—optimizing 25,000 square feet of the 23rd floor—was a challenging feat that would not have been as smooth if it hadn’t been for a strong partnership with landlord Cadillac Fairview. The WELL Building Standard is a performance-based system for measuring, certifying and monitoring features that impact human health and wellbeing, through air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and mind. It complements other green building rating systems such as LEED. [2]

[in 2012], as part of their on-going commitment to sustainability, TD Bank decided to go green when upgrading the aging roof of their flagship Mies Van Der Rohe Banking Pavilion at the TD Centre in downtown Toronto. The new vegetated living roof provides improved thermal resistance, reduces urban heat-island effect and limits stormwater run-off. In addition, the design preserves the existing roof grid pattern which is a protected element of the designated heritage building. As sustainable project managers, Green Reason worked with the team from initial feasibility investigations through to completion of the construction process. [3]

References:

[1]      “TD Centre Tower First in Toronto to Achieve LEED Platinum Certification.” Canadian Architect, October 11, 2012. https://www.canadianarchitect.com/td-centre-tower-first-in-toronto-to-achieve-leedr-platinum-certification/.

[2]       International WELL Building Institute. Accessed June 17, 2021. https://resources.wellcertified.com/articles/how-td-bank-hq-achieved-well-certification/.

[3]      “Project Profile – Toronto Dominion Centre.” green reason. Accessed June 17, 2021. https://greenreason.ca/projects/td-living-roof/.

Additional information:

“Environmental Performance.” TD Centre Sustainability. Accessed June 17, 2021. https://www.tdcsustainability.com/environmental-performance/.

Fotheringham, Nikki. “Toronto’s TD Centre One of the Greenest Buildings in the World.” Greenmoxie, April 21, 2016. https://www.greenmoxie.com/torontos-td-centre-one-of-the-greenest-buildings-in-the-world/.

“Sustainability.” TD Centre Sustainability. Accessed June 17, 2021. https://www.tdcsustainability.com/.

“TD Centre Tower First in Toronto to Achieve LEED® Platinum Certification.” Newswire, December 26, 2018. https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/td-centre-tower-first-in-toronto-to-achieve-leed-platinum-certification-510777381.html.

“TD Centre.” B+H Architects, July 11, 2019. https://bharchitects.com/en/project/toronto-dominion-centre/.

Throop, Brett. “Healthier High-Rises.” Canadian Architect, October 2015.

“Toronto-Dominion Centre’s Key Sustainability Features.” TDC Sustainability. Toronto-Dominion Centre, July 2020. https://www.tdcsustainability.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Sustainability_Highlights_2019.pdf.

“WELL Certification – v2.” v2.wellcertified.com. Accessed June 17, 2021. https://v2.wellcertified.com/wellv2/en/overview.

Architecture, Award, City, Completed Projects, Functional, LEED, LEED Platinum, Multi Use, ON, ONT, Ontario, Partnership, Permanent, Private, Urban, Winner