The Wicksteed Innovation Centre is a state-of-the-art boutique office building designed to meet the needs of the high-tech industry in southern Ontario with innovation and sustainability as guiding principles.

The site at 154 Wicksteed Ave. is a gateway site to the emerging Leaside business district. The site enjoys a prominent location at the bend in the road approaching from the west along Wicksteed Ave.

Known as the Wicksteed Innovation Centre, the building will be one of Toronto’s first mass timber buildings taking advantage of recent changes in the Ontario Building Code allowing the use of heavy timber structure up to 6 storeys.

Mass timber structure is the contemporary equivalent of the beloved industrial warehouse structures that have populated the downtown core for well over a century and are now being repurposed for housing and office space to meet the needs of the 21st century. The mass timber structure (comprised of Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) floor plates and glulam beams and columns) is substantially lower in its carbon footprint than steel or concrete. The harvesting of renewable forest products to fabricate CLT captures atmospheric carbon helping to mitigate the impact of climate change by storing the embodied carbon in the finished product. In addition, the CLT structure weighs approximately 25% less than a comparable concrete structure reducing the load on the foundation and allowing for reduced concrete use in the foundations.

The interiors will have exposed wood, celebrating the Mass Timber structure, 11’ high ceilings free of visible ductwork with efficient underfloor air distribution and modular electrical and data distribution all hidden from view. Biophilic design principles include the exposed wood structure and abundant natural light which create a vibrant, energetic space – an environment that promotes innovation, creativity, and user enjoyment.