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AUGUST 2019 | 77 Joseph M. Demko School EXTERIOR PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY BR2 ARCHITECTURE; INTERIOR PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY ST. ALBERT PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 5565 Joseph M. Demko School by ROBIN BRUNET S teven Bushnell, partner at BR2 Architecture, notes that the best schools collaboratively evolve to reflect the specific needs of the school division and the community – and this along with many other consider- ations went into the development of the Joseph M. Demko School, located in St. Albert, Alberta. The St. Albert Public School District retained BR2 to create a kindergarten to grade 9 facility that would accommo- date up to 750 students and integrate the STEAM approach (science, technol- ogy, entrepreneurship, arts, and math) at all grade levels, as well as 21st-cen- tury learning components. The school's principal, Les Kirchner, says the need for a new facility was pressing. "Because our kindergarten to grade 9 growth is close to 30 percent over five years, many schools in the region are already filled to capacity. We began work on this project three years ago, and current projections indi- cate that Joseph M. Demko won't be filled to capacity until 2023." Kirchner downplays his district's impact on BR2's design, but Bushnell says the real key to the project's success was "a very strong collaboration between the District, Alberta Infrastructure, us, the builders, and the consultant team. We all sat around the table and method- ically put the pieces of Joseph M. Demko together, and the process worked very well. We augmented this with many pub- lic meetings, which helped make the decision-making process easy." All parties agreed the school should have an abundance of connectivity, achieved partly by extensive glazing for the main gym and learning commons. "A lot of visual connectivity was designed for the interior," says Bushnell. "The rationale for this is that kids become so used to seeing activity they don't get distracted when it comes to learning." Flexibility was another design mandate. While Joseph M. Demko has 21st-century learning elements such as learning commons and breakout spaces, these spaces can be reconfig- ured for other purposes. Kirchner describes his school as "two-storeys, very open, with lots of glass inside and out." This is evident from a pedestrian's perspective: the central hub of the facility has two sto- reys of glass for the entry area and library, lending an airy appearance to contrast the extensive use of masonry for the building envelope. Bushnell says, "We also decided – in consideration of the neighbourhood and the young learners who would attend the school – to step back portions of the building, in order to create visual points of interest and reduce the scale. Also, to maximize the visual appeal as well as the structure's durability, we augmented the masonry with alu- minum panels of different colours. We used Prodema panels in areas such as around the library glazing, in order to impart the warmth of natural wood." BR2 developed the design concur- rent to working on an adjacent new school, Sister Alphonse Academy, for the Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools, a project that involved many of the same consultants as Joseph M. Demko. "In terms of construction St. Alphonse was completed earlier than Joseph M. Demko, and lessons learned on that project were carried over to Demko with regards to the streamlining of services provided by the trades," says Sunil Nakai, associate with SMP Engineering. Elements that would help earn the school a LEED Silver designation upon completion later this year included high-efficiency air handling and con- densing units, extensive LED lighting, and the high-performance building envelope developed by BR2. Nakai calls Joseph M. Demko "an extremely safe school, thanks to a full security system including intrusion alarms and motion sensors, card access control in select areas, CCTV cam- eras, and comprehensive lock down capabilities." In addition to design- ing the electrical systems throughout the school (which were installed by AltaPro Electric Ltd.), SMP also designed a 140-kilowatt photovoltaic roof system that may be constructed after the school opens this fall. As Vectus Inc. brings construction of the Joseph M. Demko School closer to completion as of late June, Kirchner notes that, "We had our fair share of challenges, including cement floors that had to be redone due to cold weather, but we benefitted from a wonderful relationship with BR2 and extremely skilled tradespeople. We're very excited about the completion of this school and its role in the community." A LOCATION 200 Jensen Lakes Blvd., St. Albert, Alberta OWNER/DEVELOPER St. Albert Public School District No. 5565 ARCHITECT BR2 Architecture GENERAL CONTRACTOR Vectus Inc. STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Protostatix Engineering Consultants Inc. MECHANICAL CONSULTANT Smith + Andersen ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT SMP Engineering CIVIL CONSULTANT Arrow Engineering LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Douglas Walters Landscape Architect Ltd. TOTAL SIZE 76,600 square feet (plus four modulars) TOTAL COST Undisclosed 8:51 AM 12:09 PM 2:57 PM 11:17 AM

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