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78 | AUGUST 2019 John Diefenbaker Senior School PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY BLUEWATER DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD John Diefenbaker Senior School by LAURA WALKER T he start of the 2019 school year will mark the official opening of John Diefenbaker Senior School, Bluewater District School Board's new school in Hanover, Ontario. Formerly known as John Diefenbaker Secondary School, the new name, building, and location came out of an extensive public consultation process that resulted in the decision to expand the school's offering from grades 9 through 12 to grades 7 through 12, including French immersion. "The plot of land that was pur- chased is quite long and narrow, which dictated much of the layout, configura- tion of the building and site features, such as the track, parking lot, and bus route," explains Jamie Pettit of Bluewater District School Board. In addition to the dimensions of the building site, the school's size and lay- out was also influenced by Ontario Ministry of Education standards for target building area, as well as a need to meet budget expectations in the context of rising construction prices in the Province of Ontario, explains Ed Bourdeau of The Ventin Group Architects Ltd. (+VG). "In our prelimi- nary thinking for school projects, we now target a 10 percent reduction in the gross area for design under the Ministry's target area." Students and staff will be greeted in September by the clean lines of the building's modern exterior. "The exte- rior is brick veneer and architectural block veneer with some panelling feature at the main entrance and sid- ing along the back," describes Curtis Bouwman of Tambro Construction Ltd., noting that the architectural block is carried through into the interior, where painted block and millwork panels also play a supporting role throughout. Opening to a two-storey atrium at the entrance, interior glazing details allow plenty of natural light to make its way into the school. "The main entrance and two-sto- rey lobby are located at the midpoint of the main corridor. This is the focus of the school," says Bourdeau. "There is a visual, direct connection from the main entrance through the lobby to the cafe- torium and up to the second-floor level. This is the heart of the school, creating a welcoming identity for the building and its users." Moving into the building, modern design elements and clean interior sightlines provide more than just a fresh and appealing look, playing a functional role in assisting with stu- dent supervision. "The building was designed to lever- age clear plan organization – intuitive wayfinding, efficient circulation plan- ning to minimize gross up area, and barrier-free design for accessibility throughout," explains Bourdeau. The administration office and the staff room are located on the ground floor directly adjacent to the main entrance, while the guidance office is located in the central area of the school, along with the cafetorium and kitchen. The north-wing of the ground floor offers full-size transportation, manu- facturing, and construction shops, as well as computer and media labs and classrooms, while a library learning commons, science labs, art rooms, and more classrooms can be found on the second floor of the wing. The south-wing is home to the double gymnasium, change rooms, performing arts and music rooms, and more classrooms. "Classrooms and other major spaces were organized along one main corridor on each floor. This design pro- vides a clear linear path of travel for students and efficient supervision for staff," says Bourdeau. "Each classroom and major space had the opportunity for significant window fenestration for natural daylighting." With a mind to power-savings, the facility incorporates a full-building automation system, as well as LED lighting used wherever possible. Bourdeau explains that the two- storey design for the 740-student school utilizes concrete slab-on-grade, load-bearing masonry, while precast hollowcore on steel beams feature in the second-floor construction, and built up roof (BUR) membranes are included on the steel deck with open web steel joist (OWSJ) roof construction. Long- span steel joist roof framing supports the acoustic metal deck for the cafeto- rium, gymnasium, and library areas. The school's grounds offer a 50- by 80-metre soccer field for use by grade 7 and 8 students, as well as a multi- purpose field complete with a track for grade 9 to 12 students. Designed to accommodate numer- ous needs and guidelines, Bourdeau notes that the completed building not only suits the site, but meets the needs of a grade 7 to 12 school and fits into the community. "Students, staff, and families in the Hanover area look forward to continuing the school's strong legacy and program excellence in a new and improved learn- ing environment as of the 2019 to 2020 school year," Pettit concludes. A LOCATION 201 18th Avenue, Hanover, Ontario OWNER/DEVELOPER Bluewater District School Board ARCHITECT The Ventin Group Architects Ltd. (+VG) GENERAL CONTRACTOR Tambro Construction Ltd. STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Hastings & Aziz Ltd. MECHANICAL/ ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT DEI Consulting Engineers CIVIL CONSULTANT Stantec LANDSCAPE CONSULTANT GSP Group Inc. TOTAL SIZE 88,000 square feet TOTAL COST $19.5 million

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