is a replacement school on the same site. The existing school required expansion to accommodate increased student population, decrease pupil placement loading and to provide additional services for teaching, i.e., a second kindergarten, a music classroom and combined art and science classroom. The school also has four junior and five senior classrooms. The school and site was to be designed using as many sustainable strategies as the budget would allow and included a new septic system

To achieve the Waterloo Region District School Board’s goal of an energy efficient school completed within a limited budget, we utilized a holistic design approach – a process that is inclusive, multi-disciplinary and consensus-building, where all participants must “think in terms of systems”. This is as equally relevant when considering building envelope/materials/systems and technologies as it is when considering the components of a truly supportive and responsive facility.

Our intention was to design for “long life and loose fit”.  Firstly in designing the facility we expended resources for longevity, thus maximizing the long term value of the embodied energy going into the facility.  To truly benefit from this “long life” we ensured a “loose fit”, that is the accommodation for flexibility and adaptation over time – in user, tools and technologies.  This long life philosophy for the facility extends to considerations beyond commissioning and occupancy through to the future operation of the facility.

This holistic, innovative and integrated process ensures the correct fit of all components and systems and, through careful design of the high performance envelope the mechanical and electrical systems, yield benefits in longevity of the building, reduced operating cost long term and comfort of the occupants.