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D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 2 | 89 Stitó:s Lá:lém Totí:lt Elementary/Middle School P H OTO G R A P H Y BY S T UA RT K ER N AG H A N /CO U RT E S Y 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 STITÓ:S LÁ:LÉM TOTÍ:LT ELEMENTARY/MIDDLE SCHOOL by ROBIN BRUNET E very so often the oppor- tunity arises to make a new school development unique. Such is the case with the Stitó:s Lá:lém Totí:lt Elementary/ Middle School in Chilliwack, and partly due to its location. The two-storey building, with a capacity for 930 students, is situ- ated on the former Canadian Forces Base Chilliwack near the Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve, surrounded by nature. Gerry Slykhuis, secretary treasurer of Chilliwack School District #33, says, "A new school was badly needed because an influx of residents boosted enrollment by two to three percent over the past number of years. We became aware of this property about five years ago." Allan Van Tassel, director of facil- ities and transportation at School District #33 adds, "Since Chilliwack has plenty of ALR land there's not much available for development in the region, so we were glad to acquire this site, even though it had two levels of ripar- ian areas that had to be respected." David Lee Blanchard, architect and partner at Thinkspace Architecture Planning Interior Design, notes that these areas informed the approach for the layout of the school. "The ripar- ian area flanking the Vedder River sits within one of two catchment areas and had to remain untouched, the catchment area closer to our facility could be used for playfields, and the site was then developed accordingly," he says. "The bends in the building correspond to the bends and bound- aries of the two adjacent catchment areas to maximize student play areas and onsite parking." The school layout was also influenced by 21st century learn- ing concepts. The classrooms are arranged in pairs along the south and east face to maximize daylighting and views of the surrounding river valley. Shared program elements such as a double gym, a second smaller neigh- bourhood of learning gym, band, foods, drama, art, and technology are located along the north side of the cir- culation spine. Blanchard says, "Shared breakout spaces and sliding glass doors with writable surfaces allow classroom pairs to be interconnected and collab- orative." Of the school's 41 classrooms, 40 were paired in this manner. Thinkspace accentuated the cen- tralized circulation spine with overlooks and transparencies into a double-height interconnected multi- purpose space that further connects the shared program elements such as the gymnasia, two-storey learning commons, and technology shop. Also anchoring the spine is a visual show- case: a two-storey learning commons, art room, drama room, band room, and life skills area. The two-storey learning commons and maker lab is both a functional and symbolic lookout considered to be the heart of the school. It boasts mass timber elements, a bleachers seat- ing for 150 students, and two-storey floor-to-roof glazing looking out on the surrounding Vedder River Valley. The large gymnasia (two gymna- siums combined) further enhance interior circulation with transparent glazing and views from the centralized circulation spine. The green and grey colour pattern at the interior entrance to the gym echoes the green and grey abstract forest pattern used for the school exterior. The second visual showcase of the school – and in keeping with its objec- tive to provide outdoor learning – was the commons opening onto a south- ern-oriented outdoor concrete-stepped area, with a courtyard for congrega- tion beside the playing fields. Van Tassel was particularly pleased with the way the main entrance is executed. "We wanted good visibil- ity, and it's designed in such a way that from the principal's office you can see everyone who's coming in." Yet another site-inspired design influence was an RCMP training grounds across the street from the school to the north. "We didn't want any views to this area, which is one more reason why all the classrooms face the river to the south," Blanchard says. The design began in December 2018 and DGS Construction broke ground on the site in 2020, head- ing directly towards what Van Tassel describes as "a perfect storm of chal- lenges. First came COVID, and then we had an ice storm, and worst of all were the floods that, while sparing our building site, devastated the Fraser Valley. They completely shut down deliveries, and considerable pivoting took place to ensure the school would meet its September 2022 opening." "For example, materials were ordered as early as possible and then stored nearby in our operations building – and this turned out to be a godsend, because even though the floods abated, the supply issues worsened." In this regard, the finished Stitó:s Lá:lém Totí:lt Elementary/Middle School is as prime an example of the dedication of the architects, builders, and subtrades as it is a unique learn- ing facility. "It's a real flagship school for Chilliwack," Slykhuis says. "We got the building we'd been hoping for thanks to the flexibility and ingenuity of our team." A LOCATION 5337 Tyson Road, Chilliwack, B.C. OWNER /DEVELOPER Chilliwack School District #33 ARCHITECT Thinkspace Architecture Planning Interior Design GENER AL CONTR ACTOR DGS Construction STRUCTUR AL CONSULTANT Bush, Bohlman & Partners MECHANICAL CONSULTANT Rocky Point Engineering Ltd. ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Jarvis Engineering Consultants CIVIL CONSULTANT Aplin Martin L ANDSCAPE ARCHITECT ETA Landscape Architecture Inc. TOTAL SIZE 9,300 square metres (total floor area) TOTAL COST $53.6 million

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