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74 | FEBRUA RY 2017 Dr. George Stanley School Dr. George Stanley School by ROBIN BRUNET T he Alberta Government's decision to create 230 new and modernized schools to the tune of $4.6 billion is a welcome relief for school boards as well as parents of the estimated 3,500 new students who enter the provincial school system yearly, live in new and developing communities, and have up until this point been bussed to far-flung locations. But so many schools coming on line at once has been a logistics challenge for those involved in the planning, design and construction of the $15.7-million Dr. George Stanley School in Calgary. Fortunately, the LEED Silver facility is a prime example of what can be achieved when all parties work together. From the outside, Dr. George Stanley School is enormously attractive in its unabashed sleek starkness, with irregular window patterns, brick siding and a lack of protruding canopies being a wonderful blend of modern and traditional elements. Inside, the interior layout was developed to provide maximum flexibility for a variety of users. The gymnasiums and library are located in close proximity to the main entrance to allow for after-school use, and some of the classrooms have movable walls so larger/joint classroom activities can be facilitated. Circulation through the main and second floors is maintained via large corridors, providing excellent sightlines for teachers and students; there are three interior stairs, one centrally located. It's a testament to the professionalism of all involved that the school has such distinctive program elements and visual appearance. Dany Breton, the Calgary Board of Education's (CBE) superintendent of facilities and environmental services, points out that changes to provincial funding provided for Dr. George Stanley School had a significant impact on the design. "Design work began based on initial government funding that was provided in 2014 for a starter school with a small permanent core for 250 students and 16 modulars. In 2015, the province approved funding for a full build-out for 900 middle school students with only eight modulars." The design changes that resulted from the additional funding were beneficial all- around. "It amounted to better site usage and better economics," says Breton. "The operational cost of modulars is very high, especially considering they would have to live up to LEED standards." As was the case with the other fast-tracked and tightly budgeted school projects, the basic blueprint for Dr. George Stanley School would be duplicated for a second school in another neighbourhood. "Essentially, the difference between the two would be limited to colour schemes," says Sameer Deshpande, associate/senior project manager for Riddell Kurczaba Architecture Engineering Interior Design Ltd. To which Peter Schulz, managing director of architectural design, adds: "The design evolved out of a prototype that was presented to us, and after we reviewed it we asked if we could improve upon it by eliminating long and straight corridors, and turning them into a more welcoming and flexible environment. We also suggested maximizing the amount of natural light finding its way deeper into the building, along with many other spatial improvements, and the school board was very amenable." Riddell Kurczaba's creative design team achieved the school board's original functional program, increased the architectural quality and simplified the building, all while staying slightly below the construction budget. The firm eliminated projections from the "core" building mass as well as separated roof surfaces and a variety of specified exterior materials, save for brick; this allowed for a reduction in the types of materials and details required for construction and would reduce the likelihood for an envelope failure by reducing the number of roofs, parapets, corner conditions and collisions of dissimilar materials. The interior circulation corridors on both floors are engaged and activated to allow the interior of the school to operate like a main street, rather than a typical corridor with classroom doors to the sides. On the upper level, four of the classrooms have folding partitions to the corridor, as well as to the adjacent classroom, allowing for the creation of a very large flexible space capable of supporting a number of learning environments. Deshpande says, "We created two areas on the first level where students upstairs could look down on and see activity: namely the gym and the main common space." Responding to the building's oblique envelope, the exterior landscape design utilizes irregular angles that resonate through pathway layouts, paving patterns, plant beds and play zones. Completed by ground3 landscape architects, these asymmetrical sight features bring intrigue and whimsy to the traditional school yard. Trevor Cadieux, project manager for Delnor Construction Ltd., says that when ground broke on the steel frame project in September of 2015, "We were all well aware that the construction phase would have to be rapid in order to meet the school's opening date. "Fortunately, the design was straightforward, and early on we proposed that instead of concrete block units to build the gym core as originally intended, we use tilt-up concrete panels. This was approved, and tilt-up saved us six weeks of work. Plus, the panels are just as resilient as blocks and provide a better insulation value." Although heavy rain in 2016 caused a slowdown with the brick cladding installation, the school wasn't set to open until January of 2017, giving crews time to finalize work. "Through the co-ordinated efforts of CBE staff, architects, tradespeople, the provincial government and the City of Calgary, the school is now up and running," says Breton. "A site that was an empty playing field is now a beautiful learning space and a hub for community life." A LOCATION 585 Cranston Drive SE, Calgary, Alberta OWNER/DEVELOPER Calgary Board of Education ARCHITECT Riddell Kurczaba Architecture Engineering Interior Design Ltd. GENERAL CONTRACTOR Delnor Construction Ltd. STRUCTURAL/MECHANICAL/ ELECTRICAL/CIVIL CONSULTANT Williams Engineering Canada Inc. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT ground3 landscape architects TOTAL SIZE 8,258 square metres TOTAL COST $15.7 million PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY CALGARY BOARD OF EDUCATION

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