Prince of Wales Elementary School

The new Prince of Wales school is a state-of-the-art facility, with up-to-date classroom amenities for the students.

The design is based on the Provincial elementary education program, and a versatile “Town Square” concept. The new accessible, multi-use facility is integrated into the neighbourhood, permitting after-hours use by the community. Full-sized playfields were relocated in the location of the old school.

The architectural design is intentionally modern in style, intended to be a positive statement about urban revitalization in this older downtown neighborhood. The new school’s “warm and inviting character” is due to the contrast between distinctive modern features like the glass curtain wall and the antique-looking red-brown brick. The project re-used many historic stone artifacts from the original school.

Located in the heart of urban Hamilton, the design has been praised for its “out-of-the-box thinking and efficient site planning”. Prince of Wales elementary, in the shadow of famed Ivor Wynne Stadium, won the Award of Merit in the City of Hamilton’s 2009 Urban Design and Architecture Awards. Winners of the juried contest must excel in multiple areas:

• Address scale, materials, and building orientation within context
• Create a quality pedestrian environment
• Respect heritage
• Incorporate energy efficiency and sustainability
• Be well executed

The awards jury said this put an “important community use” on a “potentially difficult site.”