Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1433288
D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 1 | 51 Dr. Anne Anderson High School P H OTO G R A P H Y CO U RT E S Y B R 2 A RC H I T EC T U R E DR. ANNE ANDERSON HIGH SCHOOL by PETER STENNING S outh Edmonton's new Dr. Anne Anderson High School means many things to many people: the grade 10 to 12 facility is a tribute to Anderson, the well-known linguist, teacher, and writer of the Cree lan- guage; it's a solution to a shortage of high school space in the south part of the city; and for Edmonton Public School Board, BR2 Architecture, and Clark Builders, it's a great exam- ple of the benefits of the Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) process. Terri Gosine, director of integrated infrastructure services at Edmonton Public Schools, says, "By involving the architects, builders, and key trades early in development after funding was announced in 2018, potential problems were nipped in the bud and adversarial relationships were avoided." Steven Bushnell, senior partner at BR2 Architecture, adds, "The beauty of IPD was that once we had a vision for the school it was vetted among the group, and we established conditions of satis- faction in weeks rather than months." Aaron Giebelhaus, senior project manager at Clark Builders, says, "Plus, the project benefitted from Clark hav- ing worked with BR2 extensively and with the Edmonton Public School Board on another IPD project." The two-storey, 21,444-square- metre school was designed for 21st-Century learning by containing what Bushnell refers to as a series of "learning communities," connected to each other with mixer spaces (stu- dent/teacher collaborative spaces), which in turn include ampitheatre stairs connecting the two levels of the learning communities. "As always with 21st-Century learning concept, flexibility and adaptability of interior spaces was cru- cial," says Gosine. "Also, we were able to accommodate a third gym, paid for by the City of Edmonton due to the fact there wouldn't be a community cen- tre development for the south area of the city anytime soon." BR2 designed the gym to feature a running track around the top of the three gyms, so users can see down into each level. BR2 designed a spectacular visual showcase in the heart of the new school: what Bushnell refers to as "the agora," a student gathering area focusing on a central fireplace around which 15 stylized, soaring poles taper to a point at the second level roof. "The agora runs the length of the school, accommodates a flexible learning commons, and creates the central cir- culation axis that unifies all of the learning communities and mixer spaces," Bushnell says. Natural light is integrated into the agora, com- bined with a structure that is designed to reflect trees, thus reinforcing the school's theme of bringing nature into the core of the school. Bushnell adds: "Due to the effi- ciencies created by the IPD process we were able to provide value-added items such as the fireplace structure, finish upgrades, and a green wall in the learning commons." Ground broke on the project in June of 2019, and Giebelhaus says, "The biggest challenge for us became appar- ent during pile drilling, as we began hitting methane pockets. We tried a variety of remedies but in the end had to simply drill very carefully, as the last thing we wanted to do was keep hitting rock, causing sparks and explosions." Also, the IPD team had to contend with one of the wettest summers in Edmonton's history as they completed the earthworks; plus, the site shut down completely due to a COVID out- break. "It amounted to an extended Christmas break, and we resumed work shortly thereafter with no fur- ther interruptions," Giebelhaus says. The school's exterior – an insu- lated rainscreen – was augmented with solar panels (in addition to roof- mounted panels); to help achieve LEED Silver standards, triple pane windows were installed along with a high-efficiency boiler plant and chilled water plant, hydronic air han- dling equipment, and BMS controls. HardStop Decorative Protection Panels with a fibreglass core from Formica Group were specified not only to protect walls from damage and repair, but also to add a considerable level of design interest. Over 500 pan- els with hundreds of clear anodized trim were used. For all involved, Dr. Anne Anderson High School represents a new vision for the delivery of the high school cur- riculum. "The feedback from students and staff has been amazing," Gosine says. "It's a very large school but at the same time intimate and inviting. Hats off to the architects and builders for making this such a success." A LOCATION 12702 35 Avenue SW, Edmonton, Alberta OWNER /DEVELOPER Edmonton Public School Board ARCHITECT BR2 Architecture GENER AL CONTR ACTOR Clark Builders STRUCTUR AL CONSULTANT Protostatix Engineering STRUCTUR AL BUILDER Collins Steel MECHANICAL CONSULTANT D.A. Fox Engineering / Remedy Engineering MECHANICAL BUILDER Priority Mechanical ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT SMP Engineering ELECTRICAL BUILDER Canem Systems L ANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Design North Landscape Architecture Inc. LEED CONSULTANT Element Sustainable Design Consulting INTERIOR BUILDER KERR Interior Systems Ltd. TOTAL SIZE 21,444 square metres TOTAL COST $76.9 million 1:22 PM