George Brown College establishes BSI to support sustainable initiatives

George Brown College has established the Brookfield Sustainability Institute (BSI) to aid sustainable communities via international partnerships and education. The institute will be housed in the Limberlost Place building, which is currently under construction.

Luigi Ferrara, the chair and CEO of BSI, mentioned in an interview that the focus of the institute is on finding applied solutions to address problems while moving closer to net zero. He added that the goal is to provide answers that can change society, technology and create sustainable products and services in the long term.

The institute is based on the philosophy of "smart sustainability," which seeks to achieve sustainable development goals through digital transformation. BSI was made possible by $18 million in donations from Jack Cockwell, the director of Brookfield Asset Management Inc., and is independent of the firm.

Ferrara has announced the creation of a sustainable fashion brand called For Tomorrow, which BSI is already developing. The brand aims to promote circular fashion by offering financial incentives and utilizing a digital platform. BSI is also partnering with other companies to develop an aluminium air battery and hydrogen-cooled supply chain solutions for trucks.

BSI will focus on circular economy sectors such as fashion and manufacturing, new urban planning and architecture for climate-positive neighbourhoods and communities, and energy, transportation, and food security.

The institute plans to create new designs for subdivisions that are climate positive and pedestrian-friendly, with shared or mixed uses and smaller, more energy-efficient homes. BSI will work with various partners, including established companies, startups, and emerging technologies, to provide resources to move their ideas and products forward.

The Limberlost Place building, where BSI will be located, is a 10-storied mass timber building designed with green building practices in mind. It will feature a 40% window-to-wall ratio, smart daylight sensors, and dimming controls. The building will have no fuel-fired systems and will run on electricity generated by a roof-mounted solar array, which will provide 24% of its energy consumption. Other sustainable design features include sensors, solar chimneys, mechanical systems, and an insulated façade that will regulate temperatures with less energy use.

Ferrara praised the Limberlost Place because it is "moving the dial on how we can build sustainability, demonstrating the practices, making the proof of concept that will lead to the regulatory changes that we need to keep us moving toward a direction to net-zero and to a climate-positive world . . . It's almost a culmination of the intention and ideas that the institute hopes to bring to the world."