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Bill Crothers Secondary School

Bill Crothers Secondary School was conceived as the York Region District School Board’s flagship school for athletics and healthy active living. To achieve this goal, the school and its site were designed with the objective of providing high level athletic and training facilities while integrating a full suite of Low Impact Development (LID) and sustainable ‘green building’ initiatives.

The design of the school was informed by the characteristics and natural heritage features and functions of the site, the centrepiece of which is the Rouge River. The design of the site responds to the presence of the Rouge River, positioning active and passive recreational and open space uses along the river and linking these to the larger ravine park and pathway system implemented by the City.

The project is regarded as an important Low Impact Development demonstration project and achieves a high standard of sustainability by incorporating the following:

District energy heating and cooling
High reflectivity roofing
High reflectivity paving
Optimized use of natural light
State of the art building controls
High efficiency plumbing fixtures
Innovative L.I.D. stormwater management system comprised of:
– Biofilter systems
– An 1,875 cubic metre rainwater harvesting tank
– Irrigation system employing recycled rainwater
– Hybrid SWM pond/wetland for water quality enhancement

The implementation of the project resulted in the creation of three hectares of naturalized riparian forest and wetland habitat along the Rouge River corridor.

Athletic facilities include two high-calibre artificial turf sports fields and one natural turf field, an internationally certified synthetic running track, track and field training facilities and a recreational trail system. These amenities represent the premier facilities within the City.

Overall, the project successfully achieves the City’s sustainability objectives while establishing a new standard of innovation in design. The school and site are fully integrated with the Rouge River corridor and create an important node along the City’s valleyland parkway and open space system.

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