Award

OCTOBER 2015 | 61 PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY HCMA ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN Oak Bay High School Oak Bay High School by ROBIN BRUNET H ow does one go about developing a public secondary school whose design is inextricably linked to 21st cen- tury education delivery and yet respects the heritage of the 20th century facility it is replacing? Moreover, how does one build the new school when there is lit- erally no space in the neighbourhood other than the existing school site? Those were some of the challenges facing Greater Victoria School District #61, which was tasked with replacing the Oak Bay High School in the community of the same name on Vancouver Island. In assembling the design-build team it was important to Farmer Construction and HCMA Architecture + Design to align with companies that would assure 100 per cent commitment from all team members to deliver the best project pos- sible; selecting companies that had the capacity to get the work done quickly, accurately and on schedule, towards a final product that would hopefully exceed the expectations of the client, the students and the community. Originally, Oak Bay High School (the east building of which was constructed in 1929 and the west wing of which was built in the 1950s) was earmarked for seismic upgrading, but a decade ago engineers determined that a full replacement would be more cost effec- tive. "Five years ago we received the go ahead for consultation and conceptual design, and two years ago we awarded the contracts, so this has been a long time in the making," says Tom Smith, District #61's director of facilities. The new $50-million Oak Bay High School is a 17,700-square-metre struc- ture built in five phases, beginning in July of 2013 and ending in June of next year. The school has been designed to integrate well into its context. Building heights respect the residential scaled neighbourhood along the streets and are articulated with ample glazing to lend a sense of visual transparency, especially around the main entrance, the library and the cafeteria. Durability, longevity and ease of maintenance were important considerations – masonry is the predominant material for the base, with metal cladding and panelling for the upper levels developed in a con- temporary colour scheme that includes bright whites and silvers with some lime green highlights; a variation of the school's traditional green colour. Entering into Oak Bay High School's interior is where visitors get a true sense of the 21st century approach to educa- tion. Instead of narrow corridors and segregated classrooms, the building has a generous open-air ambiance, with clerestory windows that span the entire length of the school, providing daylight to all occupied spaces. The corridors with their liberal use of colour for way- finding have been designed as "spaces of encounter and informal learning," according to HCMA principal Carl-Jan Rupp, and many of the lockers have been built to half-height in order not to spoil sightlines and so that the tops of the lock- ers can serve as work stations. The class- rooms themselves were designed with sliding wall partitions and overhead garage doors to the corridors, to support collaborative teaching and flexibility. Adam Fawkes, HCMA associate and project architect, says: "Central to the design of this new high school was the notion of recognizing the four pillars of excellence that form the legacy of this institution: academics, athletics, arts and citizenship. Each of these pil- lars is represented by a building wing that surrounds a central three-storey atrium, which, filled with natural light and a variety of seating opportunities, provides an inviting gathering space for the student body during the day and the wider community in the evening." The notion of inviting the community to use the facility was an important fac- tor that influenced the design. In addi- tion to the neighbourhood learning centre, which provides dedicated space for community use – multi-purpose rooms, childcare spaces, a teen centre and administrative offices – the entire main floor is laid out for use by the wider public, which required special attention to questions of security by the design team and the school district. The gyms provide much needed recreational space to Oak Bay recreation, the 420-seat the- atre will be used by the school and by community theatre groups, and adult education programs will take place in the teaching kitchens and workshops. Throughout the facility, elements of the old Oak Bay High School are used as special features, including salvaged tiles from California, re-milled wood, re-used First Nation carvings (from cedar doors) and archival images digitally printed onto glass railings for an art installa- tion. A giant existing Sequoia tree at the entry of the school anchors the transi- tion from indoor to outdoor spaces. The extensive recycling of material also helped fulfill LEED requirements. The new Oak Bay school began as a stip-sum project, but after consider- able time and effort had been expended under this delivery model, the provincial education ministry requested a switch to design build. "Both delivery methods have their strengths and weaknesses, but we were extremely pleased with the outcome," says Jim Soles, District #61's supervisor of building projects. Smith and his colleagues faced the problems associated with new con- struction on a very tight site. "Oak Bay is completely built up, so we had to locate the new school on the premises, and that meant excavating the existing playing fields and building it there, just six feet away from the existing function- ing school," he says. Smith is particularly impressed that throughout the construction phase, "which normally can be noisy and dis- ruptive, we didn't receive any com- plaints from our residential neighbours. That's partly due to the professionalism of Farmer Construction crews and also because residents knew they were get- ting a new facility that was better ori- ented on the existing site and would look absolutely beautiful." True to Farmer's motto of "building community" the design team started the design process with an open and honest collaboration with the client team, the neighbourhood and the municipality and supported ongoing communication with the public through a project spe- cific website. "With an operating school on the east and west side of the project, and with students crossing the site to access both schools, a detailed phasing plan was key to working with the school to ensure student safety," explains site project manager and superintendent John Scheeren. Soles echoes the sentiments of those involved in the project when he says: "Everyone went above and beyond what was called for in the design and construc- tion of this project. There were a lot of hurdles to clear, but everything worked out according to plan, and special thanks should go to the District of Oak Bay, which contributed $1-million towards our theatre. The new facility is a wonder- ful addition to the community." A LOCATION 2151 Cranmore Road, Victoria, B.C. OWNER/DEVELOPER Greater Victoria School District #61 ARCHITECT/LEED CONSULTANT HCMA Architecture + Design GENERAL CONTRACTOR Farmer Construction Ltd. STRUCTURAL/MECHANICAL CONSULTANT WSP ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Nemetz (S/A) & Associates Ltd. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS PWL Partnership TOTAL SIZE 17,700 square metres TOTAL COST $50 million 3:25 PM

• Cover