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M A R C H 2 0 2 5 | 77 Ta'talu Elementary School P H OTO G R A P H Y BY T H I N K S PAC E /S T UA RT K ER N AG H A N + EM M A N U EL A B U EL ; R EN D ER I N G CO U RT E S Y T H I N K S PAC E TA'TALU ELEMENTARY SCHOOL by ROBIN BRUNET T he development of Ta'talu Elementary School in Surrey began as a project to serve a rapidly growing new neighbour- hood in the southern part of the city, but it became so much more: the first three-storey, hybrid mass timber school in Surrey, B.C. Also making this project remark- able is that the design resulted from site constraints and the need to ful- fill local building code requirements. "Challenges became opportunities thanks to great collaboration with Surrey School District #36," says Ray Wolfe, architect and principal at Thinkspace Architecture Planning Interior Design Ltd., adding that his colleague, architect Danika Irvine, worked extensively on the project prior to going on maternity leave. Dave Riley, executive direc- tor, capital project office at Surrey Schools, points out that "the land we acquired for this project in 2016 con- sisted of six residential properties that we consolidated – with the final site dimensions being fairly narrow and containing a substantial grade drop." In order to create the learn- ing spaces (Ta'talu would ultimately consist of 27 classrooms accommo- dating 80 kindergarten students and 575 grade 1-7 students), the decision was made early on to build vertically. "Most of the schools we have recently built have been two storeys, but in this case it made sense to create three sto- reys on the north end of the property and leave as much space as possi- ble for the play areas," Riley says. Lengthy discussions ensued as a result of the school district's desire to reduce the carbon footprint for its new building. The design team eventually realized that reducing embodied carbon would advance this goal, which led to using mass tim- ber as a building material. The desire for aesthetic and biophilic proper- ties also factored into this decision. However, since the B.C. building code does not allow for three-sto- rey interconnected combustible schools and due to cost constraints, the team decided on a hybrid solu- tion. The predominant structure would be post-and-beam glulam, with light wood framing, and load- bearing mass timber beams and columns. Flooring assemblies would be made of non-combustible materi- als, while shear walls would be light wood framing. Steel would be used for the stairs, elevator, and gymnasium. Wolfe says, "We determined that the cost difference between a hybrid mass timber structure and one of a steel structure was only about $120,000. Also, the total global warm- ing potential of the steel version would have had a higher carbon footprint. Plus, wood makes for a healthier and happier environment for stu- dents and staff." As for the school's exterior cladding, single-skin metal panel was selected for low mainte- nance and durability, and an abstract colour scheme was developed to reflect the nearby Little Campbell River that the school is named after. Thinkspace designed three storeys of stacked learning neighbourhoods on the east and west ends of the build- ing, with each neighbourhood made up of four or five classrooms open- ing onto a shared project space. In between those spaces are a learn- ing commons, multi-purpose room, administration areas, and a gym, all connected by a central atrium. "The atrium plays a major role in bringing natural light into the facility as well as providing wayfinding and visual connection for students," Wolfe says. DGS Construction broke ground on the project in the spring of 2022. An accelerated construction schedule was possible due to the prefabricated timber components and provided the school district with significant finan- cial savings. Also, the pre-fabricated design meant fewer delivery trucks to the site and therefore less disruption to the surrounding neighbourhood. The mass timber hybrid design was funded by the Ministry of Education, with contributions from the School District. Although the design was more expensive, both Riley and Wolfe think future school projects could follow Ta'talu's hybrid lead; but the latter stresses that "Cost fluctuations in materi- als must always be considered first." Riley adds, "The design of Ta'talu could be repeated at future Surrey school sites. Our trend will be towards smaller footprints and more storeys to maintain outdoor play areas. Ta'talu represents a really smart, efficient solution." A LOCATION 1970 165A Street, Surrey, B.C. OWNER /DEVELOPER Surrey School District #36 ARCHITECT Thinkspace Architecture Planning Interior Design Ltd. GENER AL CONTR ACTOR DGS Construction STRUCTUR AL CONSULTANT Fast + Epp MECHANICAL CONSULTANT AME Group ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT O'M Engineering CODE CONSULTANT Pontem Group TOTAL SIZE 5,016 square metres TOTAL COST $44.1 million

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