St. Clements, Ontario
Charles Simon, Architect + Planner

The YMCA Environmental Learning Centre is a youth camp and conference centre featuring several buildings which incorporate innovative green design strategies.  The buildings reflect careful planning, close attention to the site’s natural conditions, and effort to maximize educational opportunities.

The Centre’s Solarium Building features a large solarium room which houses a solar aquatic wastewater treatment system and enables passive heating and natural ventilation for cooling.  The building is also outfitted with energy efficient lighting fixtures to complement daylighting design strategies.  The north side of the building is earth bermed with a green roof.

The Burrows Building is an earth bermed residential building with conference space.  All of the building’s energy is generated and stored onsite with photovoltaic panels, a small wind turbine, and a battery system.  The building’s passive heating and cooling design strategies are supplemented in the winter months with a masonry heater.  Many of the construction materials are reused or recycled.  The Burrows incorporates an onsite greywater treatment system and composting toilets.

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