Educational

Design of this new consolidated school is based on a “World Cafe” consultation and information gathering process with the three school community stakeholders as well as board representatives.

The architectural design for the new school involves a three-storey structure with outdoor access on two levels. The sloping topography allows the building’s second floor level to be situated at grade on the west side where the main entrance, drop-off route and parking lot are located. Sloping topography also allows first floor level access at grade on the building’s east side to all of the school’s athletic facilities. Building wings feature primary programs: theatre arts in the north wing and gymnasia in the south wing.

In 2010, the Limestone District School Board completed a comprehensive ARC process and Condition Assessments of the family of schools surrounding the Sharbot Lake Community.

To address significant declining enrollment, the Board embarked on a plan to merge three existing Elementary Schools and the Sharbot Lake High School into a single, new K–12 facility.

The new school is located on the site of the existing high school, and while the 54,000 m² site at first appeared large enough to easily support this new building, steep terrain, natural wetlands, and existing development restricted the new building to a limited footprint.

The resulting design was a three-storey school building with a second floor gymnasium that pushes into a treed limestone hillside. The academic wing was organized with Kindergartens on the ground floor, elementary classrooms on the second floor, and secondary classrooms occupying the upper floor. Because of the rural nature of Sharbot Lake, the School Board recognized the new facility would function as a community hub as part of the design process. +VG engaged community stakeholders, such as the Sharbot Lake Little Theatre, to ensure the design could accommodate these needs, as well as the academic needs of the Limestone District School Board.

+VG Architects successfully facilitated a series of design meetings, 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 ahead, was key to the success of the Schematic Design process.

This project required the continuous operation of three school buildings on site during construction and demolition after construction was occupied.

The school design is based on a variation of the cross-shaped prototype +VG developed in response to the guidelines of the Ministry of Education. The circulation layout features a large lobby which ties the wings together and provides direct access to the Administration Office and Library areas. The large lobby area also provides a warm welcome for all visitors and a place for informal collaboration and fellowship.

The basic design enhances security by eliminating hidden corners. The entrances and parking lot are well-lit and there is good wall lighting provided to enhance security.

The drop-off and pick-up area is laid out to be closest to the parking lots, minimizing the distance between these “kiss n’ ride” zones and the daycare entrances and exists. This maximizes the supervision of these zones, thereby increasing the security of children being picked up and dropped off. Simultaneously, this expedites the time spent by parents dropping off or picking up their children from the daycare facility, which in turn substantially reduces vehicular congestion.

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.

The Warwick Academy, founded in 1662 is considered to be the longest continually operating school in the Western World, and is well known for its high standards of Academic Excellence.

Located on 22 acres in the heart of Bermuda, the school serves both Primary and Secondary School students, as well as an International Baccalaureate program of more than 100 students.

Over the years, and particularly, over the last half century, the school has been expanded through multiple phases of construction to provide additional athletic, arts, and academic facilities. These expansions have been typically undertaken in reaction to an immediate need with no long term Master Plan along with guiding principles for future facilities. The result is a building complex which lacks clear delineation between the various departments, complicated circulation with various floor levels that hamper accessibility, and no central focus or sense of arrival.

+VG Architects in association with local architects Botelho Wood Architects were commissioned by Warwick Academy to lead a design study to examine options to implement the Academy’s current expansion plans:

• New Learning Commons
• New secondary wing with eight new classrooms
• New International Baccalaureate centre (22,000 ft2)
• New Performing Arts Centre (16,000 ft2)
• New multi-purpose rooms for Primary and Secondary levels
• Improved parking and automobile circulation
• Improved pedestrian circulation
• New 12 unit residential development

Previous expansions at Warwick Academy have typically been undertaken in reaction to an immediate need, without the benefit of a long-term Master Plan. The +VG study provided guiding principles for future facilities, and recommendations to improve the existing campus, with better delineation between various departments, simplification of the circulation and enhanced accessibility. The study examines options to develop a central focus for the campus and create an appropriate sense of arrival at this remarkable institution.