June 23, 2009

Richmond Hill, ON

Designs for new York Region District School Board building feature energy efficiency

Samantha Vartiamaki

RCD Research Reporter

The Committee of the Whole of the Town of Richmond Hill will view site plan submissions for a new York Region District School Board administration building at Yonge Street and Regatta Avenue in Richmond Hill on July 6, 2009. An invited tender for the $13.7 million facility was issued on May 21, 2009, closing on June 11, 2009 at 16:00.

Designs for the building were completed by:

• Moffett & Duncan Architects Inc. of Etobicoke (architectural designs and landscape plans)
• Fleisher Ridout Partnership Inc. of Toronto (landscape plans)
• EMC Group Limited of Concord (site servicing and storm water management plans)
• Ravens Engineering Inc. of Toronto (structural engineering)
• Ellard-Willson Engineering Ltd. of Markham (mechanical and electrical engineering)
• Van Velzen + Radchenko Design Associates Ltd. of Toronto (kitchen consultant)

The two-storey building, also referred to as Yonge Regatta by those working on the project, will sit on a 12-acre site municipally known as 36 Regatta Avenue, which used to be the location of the Yonge Regatta Secondary School. The 98,468-square-foot building will house the school board’s adult education classes, IT department and administrative space. After a period of five to ten years, the building will be converted back into a secondary school for up to 1,600 students. The conversion will include an approximate 50,000-square-foot addition.

To improve on heat retention, the building will have solar tracking skylights and shades. The project will use bioswales in the parking lot instead of catch basins. The bioswales are expected to partially clean storm water runoff before reaching municipal storm water sewer systems. A bioswale is a landscape feature that removes silt and pollution from surface runoff water. It consists of gently sloped sides filled with vegetation, compost and/or riprap.

The York Region District School Board expects to have building permits in place by June 2009. Construction is expected to begin July 2009 and is expected to be completed in September 2010.

The building will be composed of a slab-on-grade foundation, structural steel frame, two-way poured structural slab and pre-cast concrete second floor, and a brick, masonry and architectural block exterior.

– RCD Digital Media

The information above was current at time of publication. To receive an update on this particular project, please send an email to eteamcanada@reedbusiness.com.

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