Setting the standard for sustainable design, Centennial College has just opened 91原创鈥檚 first LEED Gold, zero carbon, mass timber, higher-education building.
Dr. Craig Stephenson, President and CEO of Centennial College, says the new A-Building at Progress Campus in Scarborough is an important step toward ensuring the institution continues to adapt to a changing world.
鈥淭his facility is part of Centennial College鈥檚 journey towards deepening our commitment to environmental stewardship,鈥 he explains. 鈥淎s we endure a record year of wildfires and record temperatures as a direct result of climate change, prioritizing sustainability in all we do has never been more paramount than it is today.鈥
Realized in partnership with an Indigenous Working Group, as well as Colliers Project Leaders, EllisDon, DIALOG and Smoke Architecture, this $112-million expansion now serves as the gateway to the flagship campus. It is also home to the School of Engineering Technology and Applied Science, administrative offices, collaborative areas, food services and gender-neutral washrooms, a parenting room and other inclusive spaces.
A-Building (formerly A-Block) was designed to operate in a way that is both environmentally sustainable and supports the well-being of the people who make use of its spaces. The facility has achieved zero carbon certification, thanks to features like an all-electric domestic hot water heating and HVAC system.
In addition to setting the bar for sustainability, the new addition is also part of Centennial College鈥檚 extensive efforts towards reconciliation.
Inclusively designed, the A-Building was guided by the Indigenous concept of Two-Eyed Seeing — the idea of viewing the world through the lens of both Indigenous and Western knowledge.
鈥淭his building embodies the learning journey we鈥檝e all been on — and are still on — as individuals and as a college community to fully recognize our Commitments to Truth and Reconciliation, to acknowledge the criticality of Nation-to-Nation relationships in influencing how we govern ourselves, and to deepen our understanding that we are all Treaty people — a key component of Centennial鈥檚 land acknowledgement,鈥 Stephenson says.
Indigenous ways of being and teaching are at the heart of A-Building, which features an interior courtyard that serves as an outdoor classroom, allowing for teaching in a circle formation, a wood-burning fireplace for ceremonial purposes and over a dozen rooms that are equipped with special exhaust fans that make it possible for smudging to take place.
The new facility is an integral part of Centennial College鈥檚 Indigenous Strategic Framework, which was created in collaboration with numerous Indigenous community members over a period of several years and provides an outline for reconciliation and healing within the institution.
鈥淢y role comes from the idea of the prophecy of the Eighth Fire, an Anishnaabek prophecy which talks about this idea of coming together as a human family and learning from one another, and that applies to this space,鈥 says Se谩n Kinsella, the first Director, the Eighth Fire at Centennial College, guided by internal and external Indigenous community members towards lighting the Eighth Fire.
鈥淲hat we were looking at was how to create a space that centres on Indigenous knowledge, Indigenous teaching and pedagogies, and a space for Indigenous students, staff and faculty while also being a space that fits in with the institution鈥檚 commitments to Reconciliation,鈥 Kinsella explains.
鈥淣ow we have a space, which not only feels like home, but can also act as a teaching tool to help folks learn what their responsibilities and obligations are under Treaty, and understand that some of the design elements incorporate pieces from our host Nations.鈥
In late August, A-Building was brought to life with an Awakening in advance of the start of the new school year, which included a number of ceremonies with First Nations Traditionalists through the day, starting with the lighting of a sacred fire and sunrise ceremony. More events are planned around an official ribbon-cutting on September 21.
As Centennial College looks to continue expanding into the future, Dr. Stephenson says the new A-Building will serve as a guide for sustainability and Indigenizing and creating inclusive spaces across Centennial鈥檚 five campuses.
鈥淲e are integrating the approaches we鈥檝e taken with this project into Centennial鈥檚 upcoming campus planning process and, as we continue to grow and expand, this building will serve as a template for creating more spaces like it at Centennial College,鈥 he says.
