St. Peter Catholic Elementary School & St. Paul Catholic Secondary School

In 2009, +VG Architects was retained to continue the work of the ARC process the ALCDSB had began in 2006.

This included a Condition Assessment of the existing St. Peter Catholic Elementary School. +VG assessed the architectural feasibility of Final Recommendations 3 and 4 of the Accommodation Review Committee. The recommendations under review included the construction of a new St. Peter Catholic Elementary School on the site of the existing St. Paul Catholic Secondary School, as well as an addition to St. Paul Secondary School to accommodate Grade 7 & 8 students. +VG successfully facilitated a series of design meetings while being cognizant of the underlying tensions still present as a result of the many difficult decisions the committee had to make during the ARC process. Building a trust relationship with the committee first by acknowledging their difficult work to date and then focusing on the opportunities, was key to the success of the project.

The project has resulted in a reinvigorated education facility now known as the Quite West Catholic Campus. The existing secondary school building was added to, creating new specialized classrooms for fine arts, instrumental and vocal music, and fitness. The gymnasium was completely refurbished and seven regular classrooms were added to accommodate a change to a Grades 7 to 12 learning environment.

A new 1-storey, 25,000 square foot new elementary school is co-located on the site servicing a student population of 300 from Junior kindergarten to Grade 6. The two facilities work together and take advantage of the opportunity to share public spaces, such as two sports fields, two gymnasiums, and a chapel for special events and community activities. Even with the increased build-out, the project was able to maintain a wooded area at the south end of the property that both schools use to support environmental education programs.