Award

photos todd dust / RENAIssANCE-GhMA A s a new school in the area, Mar Jok Elementary School is now alleviat- ing some pressure off of neighbour- ing schools in West Kelowna by taking on 410 students this year. The school is a joint venture between the Central Okanagan School District No. 23 and the District of West Kelowna, and also houses a Neighbourhood Learning Centre for the community's use. Shared components include com- munity program space in the building, gymnasium, playing fields and public washrooms that can all be found to the south, while the school itself is on the north side. This allows community programs to run any time of the day or week, while restricting access to the school itself. The building's general esthetics are grounded in simplicity, with clean lines, uncomplicated geometry, natural colours and materials, and a bright red accent to catch the eye. Through adapted landscape design, natural and unobstructed sur veil- lance was enabled around the school, creating open sightlines and minimiz- ing concealed areas close to the school including cleared routes between the building and parking lot for day and evening activities. Mar Jok Elementary's overall design focuses on student needs, f lexibility and utility of space, and the promotion of collaborative learning. The exposed materials, both indoors and out, allow the children to see how the building is constructed. "There is a high level of transpar- ency and visual access throughout the school," says Todd Dust, lead archi- tect on the project from Renaissance – GHMA. "Instead of isolating children, we are creating a space that treats them with respect and allows them to know what is occurring in their environment, while trusting them to focus on the learning curriculum." The school building is divided into four main clusters of about 100 to 120 students each, making it easier for stu- dents and teachers to interact. Double-loaded corridors were also abandoned in the design. Instead, sec- tions designated for circulation or flow of traffic were created as collaborative project or resource areas. Operable glazed partitions offer educators the ability to open classrooms onto these project areas, further allowing them to adapt their environment to the stu- dents' needs. The learning spaces vary in shape, size, function and character. They have natural and artificial lighting, informal spaces such as niches and nodes, as well as outdoor learning spaces. All of these considerations in design acknowledge different learning styles and accommo- date and support the delivery of differ- entiated instructional methodologies. Other design elements included sustainability efforts that allow Mar Jok Elementary School to target LEED Gold standards. Contributing elements include geothermal heating, occupancy sensor LED lighting mixed with natural daylight, and the use of regional mate- rials such as aggregates, concrete and wood, in order to adhere to B.C.'s Wood First Initiative. "Keeping within the project budget, wood was used and showcased in areas where it makes practical sense for main- tenance, where it is protected from weather and UV damage, and where it provides an esthetic quality to the facil- ity," states Mark Anderson from Bush, Bohlman & Partners LLP, the structural engineering consultants on the project. "The design features many visible wood elements that result in a warm, natural environment which provides an inviting facility and supports its function as a place of learning and community." Another highlight of the project is the heavy timber roof structure, however the slope of the roof and the fastening of the exposed Glulam beams to the con- crete shear walls proved to be a unique challenge. "The connections needed to pro- vide tolerance for the installation of the beams yet at the same time provide a tight connection suitable to transfer lat- eral wind and seismic loads to the con- crete shear walls," states Anderson. He says this was overcome by using embed- ded angles in the concrete shear walls that formed a pocket to receive the con- nection plate from the Glulam beam. The connection plate was then field welded and the pocket filled with grout, provid- ing a tight connection once completed. Other challenges came from out- side the school building. An upgraded spillway on the north side of the site is intended to be used in the event of a controlled let down of the man-made Rose Valley Reservoir, once a method of conducting such emergency procedures is installed. "There is a floodplain cov- enant on the property that required the floor level of the school to be a minimum of 2.5-metres above the high-water mark," explains Dust. "An exemption to the floodplain covenant was obtained from the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations through construction of a berm along the north and west sides of the site to protect the building from flooding." It was agreed that the risk of such a flooding in the area is low but it was important that the berm be esthetically pleasing to minimize neighbourhood disruption. By naming this modern-day edu- cational structure af ter him, West Kelowna is commemorating Mar Jok, a 1900's pioneer of the area originally from China, and the history it takes to build a thriving community. Jok and his brother owned several cafes and restaurants in Kelowna over the years, running a soup kitchen during the Great Depression and ensuring all who lined up were fed. n Mar Jok Elementary School by Zuzanna Wodzynska Location 2101 McDougall Road, Kelowna, B.C. owner/DeveLoper Central Okanagan School District No. 23 architect Renaissance – GHMA GeneraL contractor Sawchuk Developments Co. Ltd. StructuraL conSuLtant Bush, Bohlman & Partners LLP MechanicaL conSuLtant Rocky Point Engineering Ltd. eLectricaL conSuLtant Smith + Andersen Falcon Engineering Ltd. LanDScape architect Outland Design Landscape Architecture civiL conSuLtant Urban Systems BuiLDinG enveLope conSuLtantS Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd. totaL area 3,835 square metres totaL coSt $14 million october 2014 /57 Mar Jok elementary School 10:22 AM 3:06 PM 1:48 PM 10:42 AM

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