Toronto-based Montgomery Sisam Architects has unveiled their design for the overhaul of the University of Toronto’s Koffler Scientific Reserve. Situated in a rural site in King Township north of the city, the new campus is intended to accommodate research students and faculty for extended periods of time as they study ecology and environmental biology.

The existing site, stitched together over the course of a hundred years, features an estate house, small farms, and a blend of woodlands, watercourses, and fish lakes. In response to the current lack of housing, teaching, and dining spaces at the KSR, the new scheme includes a purpose-built Dining and Operations Center, as well as twenty accommodation cabins.

Montgomery Sisam’s design approach revolved around their interpretation of KSR’s work, where minor changes in specific plants can yield broader narratives about global issues such as climate change. “This relationship between micro and macro became a lens through which we viewed the development of the design.”

The Dining and Operations Center serves as the “social heart” of the reserve, defined by an exposed timber structure. Large overhangs, covered walkways, and a courtyard seek to promote an indoor-outdoor connection, while two large lantern features project upwards allowing light to filter down to the spaces below. When lit, the lanterns are intended to serve as “beacons in an otherwise untamed landscape.” Clustered around the main building a series of accommodation cabins are designed as minimal structures with south-facing rooftop solar panels.

The design team is targeting a net-zero-carbon, net-zero-energy performance for the building, as well as LEED Gold certification.

News of the scheme comes weeks after new details emerged of Toronto’s proposed Ontario Place redevelopment, and months after the new ‘robust’ Ace Hotel by Shim-Sutcliffe Architects opened in the city.