Driving around Ontario, OnRoute MTO Service Centres are hard to miss.  In 2009, The HIDI Group, in conjunction with Quadrangle Architects and EllisDon Construction, set out to design and build 20 new independent centres throughout Ontario. These centres would range in size from 8,000 ft² to 20,000 ft², and the total project would be valued at $300 Million. The new centres include public seating, public washrooms, food services and retail, giving weary travelers modern and safe access to amenities.

Each building is designed to last the next 50years with environmentally responsible features such as daylight harvesting via photo sensors as a means to reduce light use. The project achieved LEED Silver certification.  Meeting these requirements proved to be challenging;  Due to the remote nature of each location the lack of municipal water and sewage posed a considerable problem. This was overcome with the design of on-site sewage treatment plants designed for clean water output to local steams.

The HIDI Group provided mechanical, electrical, plumbing, communications, audiovisual (AV) and security design for the 20 new MTO Service Centres.

Challenges

Outside of not having access to municipal water and sewage came the need of 100% emergency power generation. The team designed the placement of large onsite generators that were installed at all sites.