IN THE BASEMENT, Dave Rogolsky, TRCA's manager of projects, shows off a waste unit that collects and composts anything deposited in the toilets above. Photo by Alexis Dobranowski/Vaughan Today
The toilets at the TRCA’s new building suck.
No, literally. They suck.
Take a seat on one of the porcelain thrones at the Restoration Services Centre and you’ll notice a gentle downward pull.
It’s a composting toilet, and by continuously drawing air down into the composting unit below, it eliminates the need to flush.
The no-flow toilets are just one of the many features incorporated in the building to conserve energy, save water and gain recognition as one of the greenest buildings in the country.
The building, tucked off of Islington Ave., has been awarded the LEED Platinum certification by the Canada Green Building Council for its innovative sustainability features.
It’s the first building in Ontario to receive the designation, and the fifth in the country.
The LEED — Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design — program ranks buildings based on a point system that considers specific requirements, such as material and resources, environmental quality and water efficiency.
Dave Rogalsky, the TRCA’s manager of resource management projects, said if the TRCA can’t go green, then the environmental agency can’t expect others to.
“We are very proud of our facility,” he said during a recent tour. “It’s part of the Living City Campus, a green space right through the centre of Vaughan — a beacon of environmental sustainability.”
The TRCA site boasts a solar panel, an onsite 25-acre nursery for growing trees and shrubs, and a storm water pond, which means no treated water is needed for watering or truck washing. It uses ground-source heating pumps and heat-recovery ventilators, and was built in large part out of recycled materials.
The building was constructed at a 10-percent capital cost premium, which was offset by not paving the lengthy driveway and by using recyclable materials.
The building should see an annual energy saving of 66 percent and use 600 percent less water a year than a comparable conventional building, Rogalsky says.
Geordon Green, of Montgomery Sisam Architects, who worked with the TRCA on the building’s design, said the orientation of the building itself is also green.
“The office portion is in the east and the workshop is in the west,” he said. “That way, the east portion is protected from the sun and wind.”
Daylight reaches 100 percent of the occupied space, Green said.
But workers are able to control light switches and windows, whereas in most office spaces they cannot, he added.
This is an important factor in environmental design and sustainability, Green said, as workers can feel in control of the space.
“Salaries are the greatest cost for all businesses,” he said. “You can have more effective and happy workers through environmental design.”
Green said he sees little resistance from companies when it comes to going green.
“There are no significant monetary incentives,” he said. “But (LEED) is getting a higher profile.”
Using natural light, switching to low-flow faucets and opening windows are a few simple ways to start greening any office building, Green said.
Rogalsky admits some of the TRCA building’s more high-tech greening methods aren’t for everyone.
“Maybe the (composting toilets) wouldn’t work in public yet,” he said. “But essentially, it’s compost; just don’t put it on your vegetable garden.”
