A new prototype demonstration of different burgeoning smart building technologies is coming to the campus of Toronto Metropolitan University as part of a cross-institutional effort that will result in the construction of a new 3,229-square-foot Smart Campus Integration and Testing Hub (SCITHub) designed by WZMH Architects.

The initiative has been in development since 2019, with a finalized design for the structure submitted two years later, and its construction is now fully funded through a mixture of public grants and private donations that covered the total project cost of about $6 million. 

The TMU SCITHub is part of the Network of Living Campuses (NLC), which involves seven other universities across Canada. Researchers are hopeful it will serve as a kind of nexus for the various data-driven investigations into smart building tech that are happening at their respective campuses. 

A mass timber building envelope and exterior Intelligent Structural Panel (ISP) system developed by WZMH in 2017 comprise the three-story structure, whose first floor offers a demonstration living space and is topped by a modular office model and another open-floor office plan at the upper levels. 

According to the TMU research team, the following four areas will be explored in-depth through the duration of the prototype's demonstration:

• Integrated Smart City and Smart Campus Management
• Smart and Ongoing Commissioning and Optimized Asset Performance
• Advance Building Energy Simulation Approaches
• Human-Building Interaction and Improved Occupant Experience

They say: "The Smart Campus Integration and Testing Hub will be the world’s first 100% digitally-enabled building, integrating all building systems and services — heating & cooling, ventilation, lighting, building envelope, security, IT, and communications — so that they can be co-optimized."

The prototype will be accessible both digitally and in person thanks to a digital twin that is created side-by-side with the physical structure. TMU associate professor Jenn McArthur expects to have the facility up and running sometime in 2024.