Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1274063
J U LY 2 0 2 0 | 55 TTC McNicoll Bus Garage P H OTO G R A P H Y CO U RT E SY S T R A S M A N A RC H I T EC T S I N C . T ransit use in the Greater Toronto region is steadily growing, and bus fleets are growing to meet demand – but there are a limited amount of facilities for proper mainte- nance and storage. That, in a nutshell, explains the design and development of Toronto Transit Commission's (TTC) McNicoll Bus Garage in north Scarborough, which is expected to not only provide relief for overloaded existing garages but also opera- tional efficiencies and, by extension, improved customer experience. The garage, designed by Strasman Architects Inc. and constructed by Buttcon Eastern Joint Venture under a design build delivery method, can maintain and store 250, 40-foot vehi- cles and new articulated buses. The project, which had been in the plan- ning stages since 2013, is comprised of heated storage, two nightly ser- vice lanes each with two service bays, a special clean lane, maintenance garage, administrative offices, and support and ancillary areas. Built to exceed Toronto Green Standard, the garage also boasts a massive solar wall that will recapture heat through the winter months, and an especially large green roof. TTC project manager Jason MacDonald points out that a great deal of time was spent creating a feasibility study and then undertaking commu- nity consultation in order to move the project forward. "This was our eighth bus garage, and, like the others, we wanted a facility that is a welcome part of the neighbourhood." TTC's engineers determined how the greenfield site would be organised, and in 2017 they turned over their requirements to Shawn Strasman, principal at Strasman Architects, with whom they had col- laborated many times in the past. "Shawn lost no time improving what had been laid out in order to better facilitate the smooth throughput of buses," says MacDonald. He adds that the solutions were simple. "For example, Shawn rotated the orientation of some service bays for optimized bus manoeuvering. Also, we wanted natural light to pen- etrate the service areas – but skylights weren't feasible due to the volume of ceiling mounted hoists and other equipment, so his solution was ver- tical strip windows." Additionally, the canopy over the garage exit was extended to help mitigate the noise of the vehicles. Another solution pertained to the bus facility's exterior design, which was driven largely by the SolarWall collector system from Conserval LOCATION 230 Milliken Boulevard, Scarborough, Ontario OWNER /DEVELOPER Toronto Transit Commission ARCHITECT Strasman Architects Inc. DESIGN BUILD CONTR ACTOR Buttcon Eastern Joint Venture STRUCTUR AL CONSULTANT RJC Engineers MECHANICAL /ELECTRICAL / CIVIL CONSULTANT Morrison Hershfield Limited DOOR SPECIALISTS Albany Doors / Wilcox Door Service TOTAL SIZE 312,100 square feet TOTAL COST $130 million TTC MCNICOLL BUS GARAGE by ROBIN BRUNET