Canadian studio Montgomery Sisam Architects has designed a university research and teaching centre with an exposed mass-timber structure that contributes to its ambitious net-zero carbon and energy goals in Oak Ridges Moraine, Ontario.

The 2,680-square-metre (28,860-square-foot) University of Toronto Koffler Scientific Reserve is set on 350 hectares just outside of Toronto.

Montgomery Sisam Architect has designed a research centre for the University of Toronto

Montgomery Sisam Architects, which is based in the city, completed the research and teaching facility for ecology and environmental biology in May 2025. The client's scientific pursuits informed the design.

"Researchers there study the smallest changes in organisms to understand systems at a global scale, and that relationship between the micro and the macro became the lens through which we evaluated every design decision," Montgomery Sisam Architects principal Robert Davies told Dezeen.

The facility is located just outside of Toronto

"We wanted the architecture to mirror that interplay, to feel deeply rooted in the landscape while remaining highly attuned to the kind of careful observation and inquiry that happens inside."

The studio drew inspiration from the area's ecological and agrarian history, dropping a barn-like form gently on the site, aligned with cardinal directions to accommodate sun, wind and rain.

The campus contains one main building and seasonal bunkhouses

With cladding and detailing that echo vernacular architecture – as well as covered walkways, deep overhangs and glazing – the building is designed to be both durable and inseparable from the woodlands and fields.

"The result is an architecture that feels native to its site and deeply responsive to the rhythms of the landscape," the studio said.

Mass timber was used for the structure

Constructed with an exposed mass-timber structure that defines the project's identity and adds warmth to the interior, the U-shaped program is a place for students and researchers to live, gather, eat and collaborate.

One arm of the plan is composed of five four-person sleeping quarters along a corridor with an amoeba-like bubbled shower facility in the corner. On the other side of a central courtyard, a large bay contains spaces for teaching, study and gathering.

Sleeping quarters line one arm of the research building

Off to the side of the dark-coloured, solar array-topped building are a series of small seasonal bunkhouses, arranged in a rectangle.

"Architecturally, the two lantern-like roof forms draw light into the interior and create a beacon-like presence in the landscape, marking the building as a place of gathering and shared discovery," the studio said.

"The entire campus – from the seasonal bunkies to the outdoor circulation spaces – radiates outward from this central anchor."

High-performance enclosure systems, low-embodied-carbon material, and carefully integrated operational efficiencies support the project's net-zero carbon and energy targets while accommodating the needs of an environment for living, learning and research.

Studies are dedicated to ecology and environmental biology

"The building needed to be comfortable year-round, durable, low-maintenance and deeply sustainable, all while remaining sensitive to its ecological surroundings," the studio said.

"Achieving this balance required extensive data-driven analysis and close collaboration to ensure that every design decision – from building siting to material selection – supported both environmental and functional performance."

Other recent higher education projects include an engineering building with a folded form at Penn State University by Payette, a science center with rippling stone panels at the University of Oxford by NBBJ and a mass timber student center at Harvard by Studio Gang.

The photography is by Doublespace Photography.

Project credits:

Architecture: Montgomery Sisam Architects Structural consultant: Blackwell Structural Engineers Mechanical, electrical, Sustainability Consultants: Introba (formerly Integral Group) General contractor: Van Horne Construction Ltd.