Fengate Asset Management and LiUNA’s new Harmony Commons student residence project on the University of Toronto’s Scarborough, Ont., campus has become Canada’s largest passive house.

Opened in September 2023, the nine-storey project comprises 265,007 square feet. Certified through a third-party verification system, passive houses use less energy for heating and cooling systems than conventional buildings.

On behalf of its investor LiUNA Pension Fund, Fengate and U of T Scarborough partnered to invest in and deliver the purpose-built development, which contains 746 beds.

“Achieving passive house certification for Harmony Commons is the embodiment of LiUNA and Fengate’s values of sustainability and community,” said Jaime McKenna, president of Fengate Real Estate. “This achievement is just one of the substantive steps Fengate has taken in putting our commitment towards environmental, social, and governance (ESG) into action.

“By placing an emphasis on energy efficiency and longevity, we pave the way for future generations to thrive in environmentally responsible spaces,” she added.

The U of T continues to own the land and operate the student residence.

Canadian passive houses are certified by the North American Certifiers Circle under the auspices of the International Passive House Association, a global stakeholders network that includes architects, planners, scientists, suppliers, manufacturers, contractors and property developers.

Passive House Canada advocates for the Passive House Institute, which is a research organization, and supportive standards to train and support industry, governments and property owners, both here and abroad, on ways to guard their buildings against climate change.

Toronto-based Fengate is an alternative investment manager with about $8 billion of capital commitments under management.