Green/Arts Barns Project
Type of initiative
FCM Green Municipal Fund - Plans, Studies, Pilots
Sector
Energy
Project value$254,500
Project Type
Feasibility Study
Sub Sector
Building – New – with Renewable energy
Grant amount$127,250
Program type
GMF
Municipality
City of Toronto, ON
Status
Fully Disbursed
Population
2,794,356
Project timeline
2005 - 2011
Project number
7121
Description
The Green/Arts Barns Project centers on the restoration of 55,000 square feet of abandoned Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) Wychwood streetcar barns located on a City of Toronto owned, 1.7-hectare brownfield site. The aim is to transform the abandoned buildings into a multi-tenant, mixed-use facility using renewable energy and energy efficient resources. An integrated systems approach will be employed to consider the issues of brownfield redevelopment, water and energy conservation, and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in relation to the goal of the project achieving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification – if achieved, it would be the first designated heritage site in Toronto to do so. All conservation methods will be analyzed based on cost efficiency and sustainability. A major component of the study will be the investigation of the environmental and financial impacts of using a ground source heat pump (GSHP) system, which extracts energy from the ground for both heating and cooling. According to Natural Resources Canada, a GSHP system uses 25 to 75 per cent less electricity than conventional systems; its maintenance costs are one-half; and operating costs are one-quarter of that of conventional systems.
Applicant
Toronto Artscape Inc., ON