Green energy from the deep earth is coming to the Annex. The University of Toronto is drilling one hundred and fifty-three 850-foot boreholes into the Robert Street Field in order to extract geothermal energy to provide heating and cooling to the future Spadina-Sussex Student Residence and connect to the University on the other side of Spadina.
“It will be the deepest large project in Canada,” says Brian Beatty of Beatty Geothermal Consulting.
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This project will mean a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions for heating and cooling university buildings, compared with natural gas.
That’s an annual reduction of 1,150 tons of carbon dioxide. It is in lock step with the university’s pledge to fight climate change and reduce campus-wide emissions 37% by 2030, and to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.
“There was a plan to revitalize the Robert Street Field, and this presented an opportunity,” says Campus & Facilities’ David Sasaki.“This is exactly the kind of big step necessary to create a cleaner, healthier system.”
The 7 million dollar project is expected to pay for itself within 28 years.
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The end result will be a revitalized and expanded natural sod playing field.
The Robert Street skating rink, change rooms, and tennis courts will be demolished, but will be replaced by an inviting community park featuring a butterfly garden, playground, climbing boulders, and seasonal plantings.
STUDIO tla Landscape Architects will complete the park by the end of summer.
www.utoronto.ca
