This was the first new elementary school built in Sault Ste.
Marie, in thirty years. As such, considerable community and
Board involvement has taken place to ensure this is the best
facility that can be built for the money available. The project
will include the usual classroom types, plus dedicated
science, music and arts classrooms, and double gymnasia, all
of which are highly unusual for an elementary school.
The site presents many opportunities, with the ability to view
directly into a wonderful wooded, ravine, so that students can
enjoy the relationship to the natural environment. We have
strategically placed the 8 kindergarten rooms and daycare
facility overlooking this space.
The project uses a multitude of energy saving, low
maintenance and environmentally sustainable features to
yield environmental control and high energy efficiency.
This project is currently out for tender, as an example of a retrofit, project of an existing building.
Formerly the building was a 60 year old Vocational High School that we are transforming into a new JK to 8, French Immersion Elementary School. The project includes the complete renewal of the site, complete exterior façade and all interiors to yield an essentially ‘new’ school. The net result is a building that is unrecognizable from its former self. Everything must be changed to suit its new use. The site now has to accommodate a minimum of 25 buses, and provide a complete separation of cars and buses on the site.
Once containing large vocational shops, the new use must be designed in conformance with the Ministry’s classroom size and functionality, so most of the interiors had to be dramatically changed. The greatest challenge however, is that the school was constructed on a sloping site, with interior floor elevations that vary 12 feet vertically from one side of the school to the other. Originally, this was accessed through several stairways, but now had to meet contemporary accessibility guidelines.
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.
Mr. Ellis provided volunteer services to the island country of St. Lucia for the design concept for a prototype middle school.
Classrooms are ‘L’ shaped to allow flexibility of programme delivery within. The Library is elongated which enables a multitude of tasks to take place simultaneously without the interference of a traditional square design. There are nooks and crannies provided throughout the plan, for informal learning, or for display of student‘s work.
As no air conditioning, nor mechanical ventilation is to provided, the corridors are single loaded to allow complete front to back free ventilation, corridors are canopied only and not enclosed and large overhangs are provided throughout to ensure adequate shading from the sun. The structure uses pre-engineered steel buttresses supporting a corrugated steel roof shell, for repeatability, cost savings and ease of erection.
The campus consists of older and dignified historic structures. So this design builds on its intrinsic attributes in a modern interpretation of the traditional architecture, taking design cues from the old Fort Brady campus buildings. This brings a modern contemporary look, yet steeped with historic reference. The project includes the nursing school, biology, zoology, chemistry, geology and computer laboratories, geological museum and planetarium.
To best utilise space, the new addition was designed to accommodate the most heavily serviced laboratories, while the renovated areas (generally due to space restrictions) include simpler classroom and lecture type uses. This project won Mr. Ellis the ‘Laboratory of the Year Award’, the only ever awarded to a Canadian architect.
Our firm’s involvement began with the original design of E-Wing in the 1970’s, through renovations by Mr. Ellis in the early 1990’s and the early 2000’s, the College’s renovations were designed to reflect an interactive, technology driven academic environment. For example, with the renovation of E-Wing, the original concept for the main block of this building was a component based system, modular in nature and therefore easy to manipulate and evolve.
Upgrading to a modern use was therefore in keeping with our age-old philosophy of future building renewal. Classrooms are normally the first subject for change, with the development of new technologies and the challenge was to bring an almost forty year old building into the new century. Other uses, such as the flight simulator built for the Aviation Department, tread new grown, and therefore opened up far more complexity into what were previously simple uses and spaces.
"Viterbo will be a premier institution among small independ-
ent universities in the upper Midwest” (from Vision 2005 “A
Renaissance for Living and Learning in the 21st Century” )
Viterbo is a Catholic University located in Wisconsin,
dedicated to ethics based education. Mr. Ellis provided the
overall concept design and laboratory planning for this new
school. Aesthetically, it integrates into the existing traditional
campus architecture, yet inwardly, is a modern environment.
The new facility houses the University ́s President offices,
3-Distance Education Labs, 7-Chemistry Labs, 15-Biology Labs,
5-Research Labs, 12-Faculty offices and 2-Computer Labs.
Integrating ethics into the science and technology disciplines,
the students of Viterbo will have access to a state-of-the-art
education that simultaneously offers knowledge and
values-based learning. The new centre will bring the learning
resources of the world to Viterbo. Special technology and
distance-learning equipment will be available for members of
the university and community to use. The centre includes a
tiered conference auditorium to host webcasts and
down-linked video conferences, as well as live and distance
presentations involving technology, leadership and ethics.
Algoma University’s new Science Building was designed to
LEED Gold standards and houses academic teaching and
research activities in the natural and digital sciences. It also
supports co-location of a number of other businesses
organizations dedicated to the furtherance of science and
technology research in the development and private sector
commercialization of technology in the Algoma region.
Keeping with the advanced thinking of the function of the
building, its structure was designed as a ‘green’ building, to
LEED Gold standards, to ensure maximum energy efficiency
and the conservation of energy.
The Integrated Learning Centre is designed to reflect the
intimate relationship between students, technology and the
natural environment.
The building will form part of a courtyard blending and
physically linking with other campus buildings, opening onto
the exterior landscape. We used an architecture composed
of natural materials, to blend into it’s wonderfully treed and
rustic site.
For cost effectiveness, the building is comprised of two
segments, a laboratory science wing and an information
technology wing, joined by a transparent glazed link.
By
dividing the building into smaller pavilions it is more in keeping
with human scale, whilst maintaining greater building
efficiencies. A two storey high glazed interior ‘street’, that is an
expression of activity and a place for chance meeting and
sharing ideas, runs through the entire length of the building.
This Community College required a building solution to their growing science program, especially in the area of environmental sciences. The object was to provide multi-purpose laboratories and research space that can be shared to provide either separate, complimentary classes, or distance learning abilities.
Although two entrances have been provided, the intent is that all spaces can function either separately, or in tandem. One enters either side of a shared computer logging space. Bridging between the two wet labs are found a Specialized Instrumentation Cubical, Prep Area, and Chemical Storage Room. As theses spaces are common to each lab, there exists a reduction capital cost, while increasing efficiency and interaction amongst students and staff.