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76 | OCTOBER 2018 École McTavish High School Addition RENDERINGS COURTESY THE WORKUN GARRICK PARTNERSHIP École McTavish High School Addition by SUSAN PEDERSON H ow do you take a junior high school and transform it so high school students will also feel at home and thrive? With forethought, consider- ate planning for the needs of todays' students, and one simple philosophy: "When you engage a students' passion, whether it is science, engineering, dance, carpentry, or robotics, then instruction in all the other subjects is easier, because they want to come to school," says Fort McMurray Public School District #2833 associate superintendent, business and finance, Allan Kallal. "This was the right time to build this addition, in order to support three new and one existing elementary schools in the area. We engaged all the partner schools in the planning pro- cess, and considered feedback from the students, parents, as well as the teach- ers," he says. The result, due to be wrapped in February 2019, will add 64,000 square feet of space to accommodate 700 new students in grades 10 to 12. The two-storey addition will include four new science labs, 16 new class- rooms, a tournament-sized gym, and a Career and Technology Studies (CTS) wing boasting a dance studio, robot- ics and computer labs, a cosmetology lab, video and animation centre, plus small motors, welding and woodwork- ing spaces. At the hub of the project, a learning commons area provides a complete student services suite, including career or personal counsel- ling, library services, and plenty of space to just hang out or study. "The goal of this project was to provide the necessary level of separa- tion between the various age groups," says architect David MacGregor, part- ner, The Workun Garrick Partnership. "The challenge was to introduce com- mon, or shared spaces between the Junior and Senior High School por- tions of the building, to achieve this level of spatial ownership." The school has secured an Alberta Government solar grant, to introduce roof-mounted solar panels to supply a portion of the school's power, and offer instructional credit relating to solar education. "It's a LEED Silver project, so the obvious things were included, like LED lighting throughout; for the solar pan- els, we have to measure the power of the panels to ensure sufficient capac- ity and infrastructure," says Dick Ong, owner of JO Engineering. The existing masonry construction consists of open webbing on concrete footing, and structural allowances were made for the panels now and into the future. "They have weight to them so we have to co-ordinate with the PV con- sultant, seeing what is required as far as ballasts, and making sure the anchorage and structural assembly is done properly. We also built it to allow for expansion of the solar sys- tem, by reinforcing the walls and roof," adds Andrea Loutas, principal with Protostatix Engineering Consultants. With the diverse range of activi- ties in the CTS, designing systems for safety and cleanliness is key. Welding booths need specialized ventilation, wood working needs dust removal and cosmetology needs specialized furniture and sinks. The addition also boasts a radon mitigation sys- tem beneath the floor slabs, which is becoming the standard in Alberta. Troy Lamash, project manager with Delnor Construction explains, "It is a bit of a process and involves a washrock membrane and piping system that allows to test for any radon gas post-construction. If any is detected post construction, you can complete the system with appropriate fans and venting." Of course, even with the best future- planned projects, changes do happen. "When we designed the original sys- tems, we knew there was going to be an addition, so we built the electrical sys- tem to manage that. But they decided to put the new gymnasium right where the transformer was, so we had to move the transformer, which was a big challenge for the electrical contractor," says Ong. Thankfully, these types of surprises were minimal, and the build went smoothly, and incorporated newly available, durable materials to enhance the school's esthetic. "The original school was built six years ago, primarily with masonry. In the past five or six years technol- ogy has developed to allow a much larger pallet of durable materials for us to select from," says MacGregor. "For example, exterior phenolic panels are highly durable and allow us to render esthetically pleasing exterior build- ing expressions. There has also been a significant advancement in glass tech- nologies, so we were able to be more creative with windows to introduce better and more daylighting." When the existing school was built, it allowed for just one window in each classroom. With the advancement of glazing technologies, the addition features more windows without com- promising thermal considerations. In the interior, the building materials fea- ture state-of-the-art modern materials: metals, woods, and glass. As a partial modernization, the design team's chal- lenge was to pick the proper line where to modernize back to. "For example, we couldn't move the cafeteria from the existing gathering area, so we chose to modernize and update any colour schemes in rooms visible from that space. Finishes in all public spaces in the existing building will be new and consistent with the new addition," says MacGregor. "Today's schools are becoming more computer dependent than ever before. Entire courses are taught today using chrome books and interactive boards. Personal devises are becoming teach- ing and research tools. Students today enjoy learning at their own pace in both private and group-oriented scenarios. As designers we are challenged to provide optimal oppor- tunities for these types of activities," adds MacGregor. Outside, overcoming site challenges meant moving large amounts of earth so that certain parts of the building didn't feel like they were underground. A series of retaining walls were cre- ated as a large amount of soil was pulled from the site, which ensured safety access and allowed for proper daylighting into the addition. Just like the addition itself, it all comes down to blending old and new, young and old, seamlessly. With the visual elements and functionality of the new addition sorted, time will tell how the school community embraces this addition and the creative ways they will use the space, whether the occu- pants are embracing the leading-edge technologies available to them, or try- ing their hand at a traditional art using hand tools and age-old techniques. A LOCATION 352 Parsons Creek Drive, Fort McMurray, Alberta OWNER/DEVELOPER Fort McMurray Public School District #2833 ARCHITECT The Workun Garrick Partnership GENERAL CONTRACTOR Delnor Construction STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Protostatix Engineering Consultants Inc. MECHANICAL CONSULTANT KFR Engineering Services Ltd. ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT JO Engineering Ltd. TOTAL SIZE 64,000 square feet TOTAL COST $30 million FM36348.indd

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