Doors Open: Trinity College’s Lawson Centre for Sustainability Officially Opens to the Community

New Sustainable Residence and Academic Building Brings Together Student Living, Learning and Environmental Innovation

At the Lawson Centre for Sustainability Welcome Celebration, Trinity College marked the official public opening of its state-of-the-art mass timber, zero carbon and targeting LEED platinum residence and academic building.

“The Lawson Centre for Sustainability demonstrates that sustainability and student experience can go hand in hand – supporting students today while helping prepare them to address the environmental challenges of tomorrow,” said Professor Nicholas Terpstra, Provost & Vice-Chancellor, Trinity College. “We are celebrating not only the opening, we are honouring the traditions and values that have shaped this College for generations. Although it’s the end of the project, it’s the beginning of a life for the building and the future for our students.”

Creating a new model in which students both ‘live and learn’ sustainability, the Lawson Centre for Sustainability sets a new standard for sustainable design and architecture at the University of Toronto. The new, fully accessible residence also helps to address the student housing shortage in Toronto. “With the new building, we have nearly doubled the number of students who can live on the Trinity campus, allowing them to get the full collegiate living-learning experience that is known to have measurable academic and social benefits,” Provost Terpstra said.

Earlier this year, a ceremonial ribbon cutting for the Lawson Centre for Sustainability was held where the College announced that the Lawson family committed an additional $5 million gift to support sustainability at Trinity College, bringing their total contribution to $19 million.

“We’re excited by the vision of the Centre for Sustainability, and it is now, that it is animated by you – the students, faculty, staff, researchers, and change makers – that the vision will become reality,” said U of T alum Joannah Lawson.

With the first cohort of students having moved into the new building and classes for the new academic year underway, the Welcome Celebration brought the community together to celebrate an important milestone. The event also marked the completion of the successful Living Trinity Campaign, honoring flagship donors for their extraordinary generosity and leadership, and volunteers for their dedication to the College. (View more photos from the Welcome Celebration here)

“Trinity has always played a key role in developing the leaders who shape our society and make Canada stronger – the Centre will enable us to take this to an even higher level. The world needs more Trinity and it’s about to get it,” said Trinity alum Brian Lawson, Chancellor of Trinity College.

“The Lawson Centre for Sustainability celebrates and fosters Trinity’s strong history of collegial life, creating a firm foundation for a heightened awareness of how to live and learn in a sustainable manner. Farming and cooking become social activities – weaved into student life on a happy campus that is home,” said Francine Houben, Founding Partner and Creative Director of Mecanoo Architecten.

What makes the Lawson Centre for Sustainability truly unique is that it features all the major sustainability components in one facility, including hybrid mass timber, a geothermal exchange system, cistern for rainwater collection and reuse, and a rooftop farm.

As a living lab, the Centre embeds sustainability into daily operations and supports interdisciplinary teaching and research through the Community Kitchen and the George and Martha Butterfield Rooftop Farm. As a campus hub for learning, research and activity on sustainability and experiential learning in food systems, students will have incredible opportunities to explore how climate action, health, equity and learning can be integrated into daily campus life.

“What excites me most about this building is that it is so much more than a residence – it is a direct investment in how we learn, connect and experience life at Trinity. That sense of learning through community is at the very heart of the Trinity experience, and the Lawson Centre for Sustainability was thoughtfully designed to support it,” said Trinity student Ivan Anand.

As the College celebrates its 175th anniversary in 2026-2027, the Centre plays an important role in supporting students, strengthening Trinity’s academic mission and creating new opportunities for collaboration.

“The Lawson Centre for Sustainability is not only a new place for our students to live and learn – it is an example of how thoughtful design and innovation can prioritize wellbeing and sustainability,” Provost Terpstra said. “Thank you to everyone who help bring our vision to reality: staff, faculty, students and alumni, former Provost Mayo Moran, our architects Mecanoo and RDHA, construction and project partners, and the University of Toronto.”

About the Lawson Centre for Sustainability

The Lawson Centre for Sustainability is Trinity College’s most ambitious capital project in over six decades and one of Canada’s most advanced sustainability-driven academic and residential buildings. Transforming the Trinity College campus, the hybrid mass timber, Canadian Green Building Council (CaGBC) zero-carbon and LEED Platinum building sets a new standard for sustainable design and architecture at the University of Toronto. Designed with Trinity College’s strong sense of community in mind, this mixed-use, fully accessible building integrates student residence, academic space, food services and outdoor landscapes within a single living-learning environment.

The Centre also serves as the home-base for the Trinity College Integrated Sustainability Initiative, which provides students state-of-the-art areas for research and experiential learning including a farm-to-table program, Community Kitchen and the George and Martha Butterfield Rooftop Farm. The University of Toronto Lawson Climate Institute is also located in the Lawson Centre for Sustainability. With the opening of the Lawson Centre for Sustainability, residence capacity has nearly doubled with more than 800 students living in Trinity College’s three residence buildings.

The Lawson Centre for Sustainability has already received international awards for sustainable design: 2026 World Architecture News Awards–Silver in Future Projects, Education; 2025 Holcim Foundation Award for Sustainable Design North America Regional Winner; and named by ArchDaily as one of the world’s 20 most anticipated projects for 2026.

Lawson Centre for Sustainability: Design Architect and Landscape Design – Mecanoo Architecten, Delft, the Netherlands; and Architect of Record – RDHA, Toronto, Canada.

Media Contact:

Young-Mee Um, Director, Communications & Public Affairs, Trinity College: young.um@utoronto.ca

Lawson Centre for Sustainability press kit and photographs (building interiors and exteriors) are available.