Sustainably increasing bus storage and integrating electric charging

Richmond Hill Operations and Maintenance Facility Expansion

York Region wanted to expand its Richmond Hill operations and maintenance facility to increase its bus storage capacity. They also wanted to renovate and retrofit the facility to accommodate the future full fleet transition to battery electric buses (BEBs). York Region engaged us to provide engineering services for this project.

The new expansion would need to meet the rigorous requirements in ventilation, air tightness, and energy performance required by both LEED and Passive House certifications. Our integrated sustainable design team conducted rigorous performance modeling on the building to help the design achieve and exceed the criteria to meet target goals. We also incorporated mechanical systems with lower greenhouse gas emissions. This will help reduce operational costs and its environmental footprint and improve thermal comfort, occupant controllability, and resiliency to changes in seasonal weather conditions.

When complete, the Richmond Hill facility will accommodate over 350 buses and provide an additional washing and fueling lane. The site will also include two storage lanes for in situ electrical bus charging and provisioning for future fit out of the facility for full fleet electrification.