The new school amalgamates all students for the entire
community, from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12, in one
new facility. The project includes all classroom types from
kindergarten rooms through science, music and arts
classrooms. As the student population is small, most
classrooms are designed to be able to be easily sub-divided
into two smaller spaces on demand, to suit classes as small
as 6 to a dozen students, up to full size. It has an interesting
and diverse recreation component, separating yet utilizing
similar facilities, for both elementary and senior grades.
As it is built in a remote location, the building was designed
to be built using very little masonry (as the nearest concrete
plant is two hours away), with a steel frame and precast
panels, that could be pre-fabricated and easily trucked in
and erected during the winter.
The project uses a multitude of energy saving and
environmentally sustainable features to yield control and
high energy efficiency. For example the entire school is
heated and cooled using an in-ground geothermal system
involving 72, 100 metre deep wells.