The Newmarket Operations Centre, due to be completed in mid-2010, is a new two-storey, 7,000 sm structure located in Newmarket, Ontario, a town of 80,000 people approximately 45 km north of Toronto. Consolidating three existing municipal departments (Works, Parks and Facilities), the new building will replace aging facilities on two other sites, and will relocate components from a third. The program includes staff offices, meeting and training spaces, an emergency command centre, a works yard, facilities for Town vehicle storage, repair and washing, and interior and exterior materials storage. The project has targeted Leed Silver accreditation. Green strategies include a geothermal heating and cooling system, extensive daylighting and natural ventilation, an accessible, intensive green roof, solar hot water heating, and stormwater collection for irrigation. The design is intended to position the project as a new civic landmark and to reconsider the potential architectural qualities of the building type.
