Building News
Lawson Centre for Sustainability: News & Updates
View Our Progress: Photos & More
February 17, 2023: In Provost Mayo Moran’s latest message to the community, she provides an update that the early construction work for our new mixed-use residence and academic building is well under way and there’s a great deal of activity on the building site, including the drilling of 57 geothermal wells as part of our sustainability plans to heat and cool the new building. Visit trinity.utoronto.ca/construction for building updates and view our progress (more photos)! Image above: click to view the photos taken from our solar-powered camera (left-fall 2022; and right-Feb. 16, 2023)
November 4, 2022: Provost Mayo Moran advises the community that with their incredible support, our Living Trinity campaign has surpassed our initial goal of $40 million in new money this spring. This means that over the past decade, more than $84 million has been raised to support the College’s priorities! However, as we embark on the Lawson Centre construction in an environment of escalating construction costs, interest rate hikes and related challenges, we need your continued support more than ever to realize our campaign priorities. “I believe we can hit the $100 million mark in 2024, which will also be the 100th anniversary of the opening of 6 Hoskin Ave. – $100 million for our 100th anniversary would be a wonderful accomplishment for our wonderful little college!” Provost Moran said. You can learn more about our new building, our sustainability initiative, and how our strategic investments will support students, enhance academic programming and transform our historic campus on our campaign website.
Fall 2022: Trinity’s parking closes permanently and construction mobilization begins with the installation of fencing and staging and the arrival of equipment. Site preparations for geothermal drilling also begins, with drilling of wells on the south-west end of the site. View our progress (photos) and project updates and construction notices (including campus access) on trinity.utoronto.ca/construction.
April 20, 2022: The Lawson Centre for Sustainability is among four new U of T buildings will reach the highest levels of sustainability – the Art of Living Sustainability via U of T Magazine.
February 23, 2022: View the Ground Blessing Ceremony for the College’s new residence & academic building – the Lawson Centre for Sustainability – via YouTube. This ceremony took place in November 2021 (observing all Covid-19 protocols) and is a joyous blessing celebration to not only mark the start of the construction phase, but to honour Trinity’s heritage and acknowledge the land upon which our College stands.
2021 News & Updates
November 19, 2021: Trinity’s Jonathan Steels and Mecanno Architecten’s Sara Navrady answer “Five Questions..” on the Lawson Centre for Sustainability, the College’s new student residence & academic building.
November 16, 2021: Celebrating our future – we marked an important milestone for Trinity College with a Ground Blessing Ceremony on the future site of the Lawson Centre for Sustainability. This was a joyous celebration, not just of a construction project, but of a building designed to embody both Trinity’s history and sense of place as well as our cherished values and hopes for the future. View photos on the College’s Facebook page
October 25, 2021: With design plans for the new Lawson Centre for Sustainability close to being finalized, Trinity’s staff building team and members of our design and project architects, Mecanno and RDHA, respectively, visited local suppliers (mass timber and masonry) to learn about production processes and product options.
September 10, 2021: Over the summer months, we continued to work on finalizing our financing, building design plans and construction documents. This fall, we expect significant activity along the north lane (north boundary of the building site, between Trinity and the Varsity Centre) and in the north field as we work with U of T to reroute existing campus facilities services, much of which are currently underground. During this period, access to the Varsity Centre will be rerouted via a temporary lane. We have also submitted our building permit application to the city and anticipate the first phase of construction getting underway late this fall. >> View Provost Moran’s community message.
June 11, 2021: We are finishing the design phase of the project, and our plans have received enthusiastic support from U of T and we expect our site plan approval from the city in the coming weeks so we can move forward with the building permit application. Site work has begun – there will be some activity on the north field this summer as we assess the relocation of a hydro-electric duct (see image). We are also working on our construction timeline with Graham Construction and our design and project architects (Mecanoo and RDHA) and Two Row Architect to help shape our campus landscape. >> View Provost Moran’s message to the community.
February 2, 2021: Work on the new Lawson Centre for Sustainability building continues at a steady pace despite the pandemic-related slowdowns. The comprehensive design, value engineering and costing processes are nearing completion. We have also engaged Two Row Architect to guide our work to honour the traditional land on which the College operates. Although there are a few key milestones ahead of us, we are on track to welcome students to the Lawson Centre for Sustainability for the fall 2024. >> View Provost Moran’s community message.
October 30, 2020: Despite the upheaval of the pandemic, we continue to make steady progress on this important project. U of T’s Governing Council enthusiastically endorsed the project this past June. We are now in the final stages of building design and value engineering. The site application has been submitted and is being reviewed by the city, after which we will submit our building permit application. >>View Provost Moran’s message to the community.
October 30, 2020: The College launched the new Living Trinity Campaign website at livingtrinity.ca. Visit the website to learn all about our exciting plans for Trinity’s future and how you can get involved. Join us as we ensure that the benefits of Living Trinity continue for generations of Trinity students to come.
Fall 2020: The Visionary Campus: Thirty years ago, Trinity students had less to worry about than their Generation Z counterparts. Let’s time travel to 2027 and experience a day in Zoe’s life.
October 8, 2020: Trinity College announces the inaugural leadership of its Integrated Sustainability Initiative: Stephen Scharper will serve as Director of Sustainability and Nicole Spiegelaar will serve as the Assistant Director.
October 18, 2019: A Night to Remember – The Chair’s Reception, an event created to thank and celebrate the many individuals whose gifts make a difference in the lives of Trinity students, was the setting for a historic announcement.
October 17, 2019: Trinity received $10 million from Brian ’82 and Joannah Lawson to support an ambitious initiative designed to integrate sustainability across the College.
2017-2019: Importance of Place – Provost’s updates to the community on the College’s plan for a new residence and academic building.