George Brown Polytechnic is located on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and other Indigenous peoples who have lived here over time. We are grateful to share this land as treaty people who learn, work and live in the community with each other.
The Brookfield Sustainability Institute (BSI) at George Brown Polytechnic is a design-led innovation hub built for the age of sustainability. Addressing climate- and systems-level challenges demands strategic thinking, interdisciplinary collaboration, and solutions that deliver lasting environmental, social, and economic impact.
Grounded in research and guided by design thinking, BSI partners with government, business, and non-profits to co-create applied solutions that address climate change and build communities that are environmentally, socially, and economically resilient.
What sets BSI apart is its systems-thinking approach — one that considers the broader landscape and its individual components together, rather than in isolation. Using collaborative design thinking methodology, BSI brings together diverse stakeholders to test solutions across sectors, from urban planning to food systems to the built environment.
Located at Limberlost Place, GBP's landmark mass-timber, net-zero building on Toronto's waterfront, BSI is itself a statement of intent. It’s a space designed to tackle the defining challenges of our time, training the next generation of sustainability leaders while delivering practical impact today.
Experiential Design & Interactive Technologies
BSI researchers design immersive, multi-sensory experiences — across hardware, software, digital platforms, and physical environments — that connect people practically, emotionally and intellectually.
Sustainable Food Systems
From farm to table and beyond, our researchers explore how to achieve food security and nutrition for all while protecting the health of the planet and advancing fairness and equity across food systems.
Built Environment
GBP's built environment researchers enable innovation in the human-made spaces where people live, work, and play — developing smarter, more sustainable approaches to how we design, build, and inhabit our world.