Bill Fisch Forest Stewardship and Education Centre

Location: Whitchurch-Stouffville, ON
Client: The Regional Municipality of York
Completion: 2015
Size: 372 sq m

4,000 sq ft
Sustainability: LEED® Platinum certified
DIALOG Services: Architecture

Electrical Engineering

Interior Design

Landscape Architecture

Mechanical Engineering

Structural Engineering

Heralded as one of the most sustainable buildings in Canada, the Bill Fisch Forest Stewardship and Education Centre (BFFSEC) promotes the significance of forest ecosystems through spaces for education, corporate, and community meetings. The single-storey, 4,000 sq ft Education Centre is adjacent to one of the first nature trail loops constructed to meet the Built Environment Standard of Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. The Centre has taken on the most vigorous sustainability certifications in the world and has already achieved LEED® Platinum, is Petal Certified by the International Living Future Institute, and is the first Living Building Challenge project in Canada.

01/09

bill fisch timber sustainable whitchurch carousel 02 — Immersed in the York Region forest and constructed almost entirely of wood, the Centre exists in harmony with its site.

bill fisch timber sustainable whitchurch carousel 03 — It provides forestry staff and the local community with a space to explore the importance of our natural resources.

bill fisch sustainability timber whitchurch special feature 03 — An intersection of forest and community, blurring boundaries between inside and out. People are intimately connected to the forest that surrounds them.

bill fisch timber exteior whitchurch special feature 01 — Wood is integral to the building’s performance. Wood and cross-laminated timber (CLT), which was sustainably harvested and FSC certified, are used extensively.

bill fisch sustainability timber exterior whitchurch special feature 02 — This produces a fraction of the carbon than more commonly used materials. It also significantly limits the use of chemical compounds and simultaneously sequesters, and stores, carbon.

bill fisch timber interior whitchurch carousel 05 — The Centre runs on energy provided by the wind and the sun, generating no pollution or greenhouse gas. It captures rainwater, returning it to the watershed as clean as when it arrived.

bill fsich timber office whitchurch carousel 06 — In addition, it provides delight and wonder, inspiring all who visit it.

bill fisch timber sustainable interior whitchurch carousel 04 — Underfoot, trees have offered their impressions in the leaf-patterned concrete flooring, a visual cue reminding visitors they are walking the forest floor.

bill fisch forest stewardship education centre design 4 — Everywhere one looks, they are reminded of the building's integration with the forest.

Meet The Team

See more team members

A truly inspirational example of forest stewardship and regenerative building construction. The Centre is a model example of humanity’s ability to reconcile our relationship with nature.

Amanda Sturgeon, CEO of International Living Future Institute

bill fisch forrest whitchurch sketch 01 — It All Started With A Sketch

bill fisch sustainability diagram whitchurch poi 01

Point of Interest 01

To achieve the highest levels of sustainability certification, every aspect of the building is designed with this in mind. Initiatives included solar energy harvesting, on-site waste water treatment, and rain water collection.

bill fisch sustainable materials diagram whitchurch poi 02

Point of Interest 02

The structure was built almost entirely of laminated and cross-laminated timber (CLT), all of which was FSC sustainably harvested or recycled wood. In addition, it is designed to be easily disassembled and recycled in the future when and if needed.

bill fisch sustainability water diagram whitchurch poi 03

Point of Interest 03

According to the International Living Future Institute, “Living buildings give more than they take," creating a positive impact on the human and natural systems that interact with them.