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COURTESY NUMBER TEN ARCHITECTURAL GROUP Douglas Park Elementary School by Bill Armstrong ith 41 elementary schools in its portfolio, the Regina Public School Division always has renovation and new construction projects on its plate. One such project includes a new Douglas Park School, replacing the existing building that opened in 1957. Comparing the design of the old building with the new prompts one to paraphrase an old saying: "This is not your daddy's school." It's also likely that a lot more consultation and preplanning went into the new building than the old. In fact, the irst meetings with members of the school community – parents and educators – were held in January 2009, led by the planning consultants for the project, Fielding Nair International. "After an initial community meeting and presentation," says FNI principal Randall Fielding, "we conducted a W LOCATION 635 Douglas Avenue East Regina, Sask. OWNER/DEVELOPER Regina School Division #4 (Regina Public Schools) ARCHITECT Number Ten Architectural Group DESIGN ARCHITECT Fielding Nair International GENERAL CONTRACTOR Westridge Construction Ltd. STRUCTURAL ENGINEER Brownlee Beaton Kreke Consulting Engineers MECHANICAL ENGINEER Mechanical Design Group ELECTRICAL ENGINEER Ritenburg and Associates Ltd. TOTAL AREA 50,000 square feet TOTAL CONSTRUCTION COST $18.7 million 92/ OCTOBER 2012 p.92-93Douglas Park.indd 92 design pattern workshop from both 'the inside out' – the learner's perspective – and the 'outside in', which considers the position of the sun, the prevailing winds and the characteristics of the neighbourhood. We use more than 40 design patterns as starting points, garnered from our work in 41 countries, and described in our book, The Language of School Design." The result is what Fielding Nair calls a design for the creative age; a 50,000-square-foot building that encompasses three multi-age learning communities that open onto a central, south-facing, multifunctional atrium, which Fielding calls the heart of the school that "drinks in the light in this often cold climate." The design also takes advantage of the stack effect to provide natural ventilation. Each "Personal Learning Community" – pre-K to Grade 2, Grades 3 to 5 and Grades 6 to 8 – will accommodate 125 to 150 students. "Once we've engaged with educators, students and community members in discussing key methods of teaching and learning, we then develop a site plan, loor plans, renderings and furnishing plans, engage in curriculum mapping and further re ine the drawings," Fielding explains. Number Ten Architectural Group was the architect of record on the project, working closely with FNI during consultations and on the Schematic Design. Number Ten took the lead in developing the details and engineering components, with FNI consulting on guidelines for acoustics, HVAC, lighting and technology. "With a variety of spaces and 20 different learning modalities, acoustical absorption to reduce noise and confusing reverberations is particularly important," Fielding notes, "as are quiet, sustainable HVAC systems that allow for multiple point controls." Regina Public School Division spokesperson Terry Lazarou observes that Fielding Nair provided the vision and a template for how to build for learning in the 21st Century. The local architects, administration and school communities were then involved in visioning sessions where "… wants, needs, nice-to-haves and fears were all discussed to create the plan for Douglas Park." The result is a building oriented eastwest to take advantage of southern daylight, a light shelf that re lects low winter light into the building, raised roof sections with side windows to let natural light into the middle of the school, a solar wall that pre-heats incoming cold air using passive solar energy, maximized sight lines to playgrounds for safety, stormwater retention on site, and earth berms on the northeast side to provide storm protection. One of the eminently practical touches is that each PLC has its own mudroom to connect play areas to the school interior. Architect Greg Hasiuk notes that Number Ten worked closely with the school division to ensure that the overall vision was being met by the design, since the project team often could not rely on the traditional 'rules of thumb' for school design. "We used 3D modelling and walkthroughs to help visualize the learning environments and to continually re ine the design," Hasiuk explains. "Large overhead doors allow educators to open up adjacent learning spaces for increased lexibility. Minimal built-in millwork allows educators and students to adjust their environments to a greater degree, with moveable furnishings. "Glazing between learning environments allows students and staff to feel connected to each other, and fosters a sense of community." Hasiuk notes that daylight harvesting is one of the key energy ef iciency strategies in the school design. Light sensors detect if there is enough daylight in a room, and automatically turn luorescent light ixtures on or off. Interior light shelves, coloured glass and semi-transparent glass reduce glare. Acoustics, Hasiuk acknowledges, were the most challenging part of the open and lexible central commons area. Number Ten used a combination of acoustic treatments throughout the space, with the most interesting being acoustic panels that appear as dancing green leaves hanging from the ceiling, adding some whimsy to the space. Westridge Construction began work on the project in March 2011. Project manager Harley Friesen says one of the irst things Westridge had to address was the safety issue, since the construction site was beside the existing school play area. A chain-link fence worked well, Friesen notes. In addition, all material deliveries were scheduled to avoid the times when kids were coming and going from school. Friesen adds that installing energy ef icient equipment and LEED standard materials has its bene its, and one drawback. "For the most part, installing the equipment is the same," Friesen observes. "LEED materials all require a low VOC rating, but they install the same, whether it is carpet, paint or glues. The low-VOC content actually makes the building more pleasant to work in. The biggest challenge is the LEED paperwork. Contractors wish they could do away with a lot of the paperwork," Friesen states. One of the most interesting elements of the building design, he continues, is the glulam columns and beams that contribute to the open, airy feel of the school's interior. "The glulam columns and beams set the building apart from other schools we have built," says Friesen. "The twostorey commons area will really stand out." Hasiuk echoes those comments, noting that the quality and warmth of the materials, the plentiful daylight, the dancing green glass and the noninstitutional feeling of the school are particular sources of satisfaction for the Number Ten team. In addition, being given the opportunity to create exterior learning environments – a playful composition of colourful wall panels, bricks and windows that re lects Douglas Park School's identity as 'the school in the park' – give the building a light, natural feeling, Hasiuk says. ■ Douglas Park Elementary School 9/19/12 2:42 PM