Children's classroom with long wooden tables and chairs, bookshelves, storage cupboards and large bright windows

Wortley YMCA Child Care Centre, London Normal School

The London Normal School is a Provincially significant heritage property designated under the Ontario Heritage Act.

This project created a state-of-the-art YMCA child care facility, learning spaces, camp programs and administration space within the historic facility.

+VG was the Prime Consultant responsible for planning, design, contract documents, tendering support, contract administration, general review, commissioning, and close-out.

LOCATION

London, Ontario

CLIENT

City of London

COMPLETED

2017

SIZE

20 Infant, 40 Toddler, 44 Pre-school

SERVICES

Renovation

CATEGORIES

Heritage
Educational

PHOTOGRAPHY

Mario Madau

AWARDS

2012 Green Brick Award
Urban League of London


View from second storey glazed corridor to double height front entrance lobby with white pendant lighting and wood panel walls

Moffat Creek Public School & Day Care

Material selections reinforce the sustainability of this highly efficient building, while fostering a connection to the natural surroundings.

+VG Architects incorporated low maintenance, durable materials into the design of the new school.

The classrooms and other major spaces are organized along one main corridor on each floor. This single corridor design provides a clear linear path of travel for students and enables efficient supervision by staff. This design also provides an important advantage – it allows each classroom and major space to have windows which enhance daylighting.

Enhanced daylighting is beneficial because it decreases reliance on artificial lighting, and studies have demonstrated a link between a naturally lighted environment and improved student performance. Artificial lighting represents as much as 30% of the energy requirement for a typical school.

LOCATION

Cambridge, Ontario

CLIENT

Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB)

COMPLETED

2012

SIZE

67,400 ft² (School)
4,100 ft² (Day Care)

CAPACITY

2,012 FTS

SERVICES

New Construction

CATEGORY

Educational


Illuminated glazed double height staircase and red brick façade nestled in green hill at dusk

Muskoka Falls Elementary School & Day Care

This elementary school project offered an opportunity to demonstrate how sustainability and the creation of an inspired learning environment are complementary agendas in school design.

Strategic decisions regarding material selections reinforce ideas of sustainability and connection to the natural surroundings in which the building was set.

Pre-cast concrete floors and roof, concrete block, and clay brick all represent locally available and highly durable material selections. Complementary natural woods and composite wood panels describe a relationship to with the natural surroundings while utilizing renewable and fully recyclable products.

Enhanced interior day-lighting is accomplished through large, north facing windows for all classrooms and translucent glazing panels that direct and diffuse natural light deep into the gymnasium space.

Continuous curtain wall glazing for the library with a view out across the Muskoka River is accompanied by a deep soffit overhang that minimizes summer solar heat gain. This employment of day-lighting techniques reduces energy demand for lighting which can constitute as much as 30% of the energy requirement for a typical school building. Natural light has also been linked to improved student performance.

Our experience in “evidence based” design, exemplified in this project, continues to be used on other projects to create positive learning environments.

LOCATION

Bracebridge, Ontario

CLIENT

Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB)

COMPLETED

2007

SIZE

22,000 ft²

SERVICES

New Construction

CATEGORY

Educational

PHOTOGRAPHY

David Whittaker