The Toronto District School Board is getting its first mass timber school. The new Poplar Road Junior Public School in Scarborough—a borough in the eastern part of Toronto—will replace the Jack Miner Senior Public School, which was designed by Raymond Moriyama in 1958. 

Moriyama Teshima Architects, in its design of the replacement school, has incorporated sustainable principles and a “kit-of-parts” strategy for the mass timber structure. Each separate part is arranged into easy-to-manufacture components for assembly and shipping. The mass timber grid, in addition to being lower cost and more efficient, is flexible to enable the school to be responsive to changing student populations. The K-8 school’s special education program will include four classrooms, an accessible washroom, and a low-sensory room.

Construction has begun on a 12-storey apartment building in Terrebonne, Québec. The mass timber building is the first phase of a 164-unit residential development. The project, which targets the Canada Green Building Council’s Zero Carbon Building Design Standard, will not only promote more sustainable, responsible practices, but will increase the delivery of new housing, with a focus on reduced construction timelines and costs. It will also implement Upbrella technology, which was developed in Québec. Upbrella is a sheltered construction system that protects materials from the elements and increases worker safety. This is the first time the technology will be used in North America.

A non-denominational meditative space is set to be constructed in a wooded area in the Town of Caledon, about 65 km northwest of Toronto. Called the Forest Temple, the lightweight lattice structure draws inspiration from bird nests and is designed to create a contemplative gathering space connected to the surrounding forest. A funnel-like roof structure filters daylight to the interior sanctuary below. The dome structure supporting the nest is constructed in a triangulated timber glue-laminated diagrid consisting of straight beams with concealed connectors. The diagrid is encased by a double-glazed triangular flat sheet window system. The domed sanctuary is encircled by a one-storey vestibule, allowing visitors year-round access. The interior lattice is then suspended from the dome structure using 4-inch square timber segments crafted from Canadian timber. 

The new Congress Heights Library will sit at the intersection of three neighbourhoods in the U.S. capital: Congress Heights, Parklands, and St. Elizabeths East. Built on the site of a former transit parking lot, the two-acre mass timber project will become the first net-zero building in the city’s library system, with photovoltaic solar panels contributing to its energy performance. A defining feature of the design is its innovative “buddy lattice” timber structure, engineered to minimize impacts on the existing Congress Heights Metro Station located 40 feet below grade. The system also reduces the number of interior columns required, creating more open and visible reading spaces throughout the library. Designed as a community-focused civic space, the library will include a range of public amenities organized around a central marketplace connecting its two public wings. The project is expected to open in 2027.

Malmö, Sweden’s third-largest city, is getting a new stadium designed for both everyday sports and international events. The 39,000-sq.m ellipse-shaped arena’s low roof structure and façade of ceramic lamellas will allow the structure to blend into the urban landscape while still standing out as a defining civic landmark. Although the ground level is built in concrete, the upper levels are constructed in timber, creating flexibility for stadium expansion in the future. In addition to the timber, the structure will incorporate reused materials from the existing stadium, integrated solar panels, rainwater harvesting, and climate-optimized material to reduce the project’s environmental impact. The stadium is designed to accommodate more than 8,000 spectators and has foyers, pop-up areas and running tracks at the ground level that integrate with the surrounding public realm. Completion is expected in 2029.