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M A R C H 2 0 2 1 | 55 Maddaugh Elementary School P H OTO G R A P H Y BY B R I G H T P H OTO G R A P H Y + R EN D ER I N G/CO U RT E SY T H I N K S PAC E A RC H I T EC T U R E P L A N N I N G I N T ER I O R D E S I G N MADDAUGH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL by LAURA NEWTON W ith Surrey School District No. 36 (SD36) growing by an average of 1,000 students per year, the new Maddaugh Elementary School was built to meet an identified "urgent need" for more space, while also providing a learning environ- ment that caters to the collaborative delivery style of today's education, as Autumn Sweet of Surrey School District explains. With a capacity of 525 Grade 1 to 7 students and 80 Kindergarten stu- dents, the school is one of three new sister schools in the district. "Maddaugh Elementary School rep- resents the first iteration of a series of modified repeat designs based on the award-winning Mar Jok Elementary School located in Kelowna, B.C.," says Lee Blanchard of Thinkspace Architecture Planning Interior Design. Mark Anderson of Bush, Bohlman & Partners LLP explains that, while the plan for Maddaugh Elementary was fundamentally similar to Kelowna's Mar Jok Elementary build- ing, the design of the new building "was altered in order to accommodate the different snow loads of the area, increased seismic loads, larger spans for the changeable classrooms sizes, and an additional classroom pod." With a pronounced entry accentu- ated by a single-storey administration block, the two-storey building is con- structed of concrete slab-on-grade, suspended concrete slabs, concrete shear walls, and steel stud framing at exterior walls. "Glulam beams and columns are used in select areas to bring a warmth to both the exterior and interior," notes Sweet. "The roof is primarily heavy timber wood glulam with steel deck- ing," explains Leo Perez of Pro-Can Construction Group, also noting the tilt-up concrete located at the building's gymnasium and multipurpose room. "The sloped roof and a skewed wall layout pose some unique challenges in terms of the interaction between the glulam column roof members and the concrete sheer walls below," says Anderson, noting that special care was taken to ensure the geomet- ric requirements of the project were clearly defined and communicated to maintain a smooth building process. At the entrance, a two-storey foyer connects to the outdoor play areas and sports fields and separates the pub- lic areas, including the gymnasium, multipurpose room and adminis- tration block, from the more private classroom block areas of the school. "The front entry lobby is flooded with natural light and creates a sense of arrival," says Sweet. Natural daylight- ing and views with enhanced artificial lighting elements that respond to daylight fluctuations are featured throughout the building. Throughout the interior, walls consist of exposed concrete, painted drywall, or clear finished birch plywood, while ceilings feature sus- pended acoustic tile, exposed painted metal deck, and structural glulam beams. Floors consist of Tarkett iQ and epoxy within the washrooms. The school's 27 classrooms are subdi- vided into six learning neighbourhoods with each neighbourhood located around a shared project space with direct views and access to exterior play areas. "Each classroom features fully glazed sliding walls opening to a shared project space to acknowledge different learning styles and support the delivery of differentiated instructional method- ologies," notes Blanchard. Direct access to the outdoors is pro- vided at each classroom on the lower floor. Upper floor learning communi- ties can access the outdoors through strategically located exit stairs, which minimize cross circulation through lower floor learning communities. "Maddaugh Elementary is an open and inviting facility that incorporates the latest technologies and offers a vari- ety of learning spaces for its users," says Blanchard, describing a combined, centrally-located Learning Commons, student Maker Lab and resource space directly accessible from each learning neighbourhood project space. To maintain project funding, the consulting team needed to abide by the Ministry of Education's spe- cific Area Standards for elementary schools. "What the architects were really successful at for Maddaugh and its sister schools is how they manip- ulated the approved allowed area to 9:10 AM 3:43 PM