The Humber Cultural Hub will come with an impressive environmental performance as a built-for-purpose facility that will contribute to enhancing Humber College’s teaching and learning environment as well as create exciting opportunities for collaboration and research.supplied
An arts and culture venue serving surrounding neighbourhoods; a state-of-the-art net-zero building helping to meet sustainability goals; design elements attesting to a commitment to including Indigenous perspectives. As diverse as these objectives may appear, they will come together under one roof: the Humber Cultural Hub (HCH) on the college’s Lakeshore Campus.
“The space is going to be transformative, not only for our faculty and students but also for the community and our industry partners,” says Guillermo Acosta, senior dean, Faculty of Media & Creative Arts, Humber College. “It really is about community-building.”
The project aligns with the City of Toronto’s strategy of decentralizing arts and culture, and creating opportunities beyond the downtown core, he says. “When you think of the area between West Bathurst Street and Mississauga’s Living Arts Centre, there’s no other big arts and culture destination, and we’re confident we can fill this void.”
With a building of 365,000 square feet, the HCH represents Humber’s largest capital investment to date. Scheduled to fully open in 2026, key features include a 500-seat performance hall for concerts, dance and multimedia productions, a 140-seat music recital hall, and an interior amphitheatre for festivals, public events and community gatherings. The facility will also house three film studios and a screening room for student and industry use as well as a comedy cabaret.
Humber’s Faculty of Media & Creative Arts offers more than 50 programs, including music, film, TV, media production and multiplatform storytelling, and “will bring them together in a built-for-purpose facility that will contribute to enhancing our teaching and learning environment, and create exciting opportunities for collaboration and research with community and industry partners,” says Mr. Acosta.
The dual objective to benefit the greater community while advancing Humber’s strategic goals is also reflected in the building’s sustainability features, says Scott Valens, Humber’s staff architect and director of capital development. “We’ve been raising the bar for our sustainability targets – and plan to reach net zero by 2050. Our Integrated Energy Master Plan aims to reduce energy and waste consumption by 50 per cent while reducing carbon emissions by 30 per cent by 2034.”
To achieve such ambitious goals, all new buildings are built to LEED Platinum and Zero-Carbon Building and Design Standards certifications. “The HCH goes even further,” says Valens. “We’re looking to achieve a total energy use intensity of 75 kilowatt hours per square metre per year. Compared to the 300 kilowatt hours per square metre per year of an average building, this represents a substantial reduction.”
The building will be fully electric, and heating/cooling will be supplied by a geothermal system. Mass timber, sourced from renewable forests, will be used for the residence portion to achieve carbon offsets, he says. “We’re working with the Toronto Green Standard to help reduce the city’s heat island effect, for example, through green roofs and increasing landscaped zones on our campuses. For the new facility, there will be 22 electric car charging stations, transit access and bicycle parking.”
Indigenous perspectives will be integrated in the design of the building along with an Indigenous classroom and garden, says Mr. Acosta. “This reflects our goal to grow our understanding of Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing, which is embedded into our teaching practices.”
The Humber Cultural Hub is a testament to the power of sustainable practices, creative innovation and inclusive values coming together under one roof to enrich both the Humber College community and the diverse neighbourhoods it serves.
Advertising feature produced by Randall Anthony Communications with Colleges and Institutes Canada. The Globe’s editorial department was not involved.