Located in a north-west neighbourhood of Oakville nestled between a creek and popular community park, this secondary school is designed to address the many external forces acting on the site.  The school’s design is a perfectly stacked three storey “L” shaped academic core wrapped on one side by a communal student centre (cafetorium and library) and on the other side by a physical education (triple gym) and technical wing.   The site is designed with pedestrian linkages from multiple access points around the site and includes and irrigated play field encircled by a rubberized loop running track. It was also designed to facilitate future expansion.

Sized for a student population of 1248 at 155,000 ft2, the 3-storey facility includes an ‘L’ shaped academic core surrounded by three gymnasiums, cafetorium, media centre,  technology and arts program rooms and an administration wing located to take advantage of a 180 degree view of the site for passive supervision.

The Library’s distinctive red butterfly roof is the focal point upon arrival to the school and gives the building a unique identity within the community.  The outdoor common space immediately draws pedestrians in upon arrival and leads visitors to the main entrance, adjacent the general office area.

To accommodate the diverse range of programs that the Halton District School Board offers to its students, we designed this secondary school to house a variety of specialty labs and programs.  These labs were designed and constructed after much deliberation with, and input from a range of previous instructors and department heads in the various fields.  

Overall, we looked to create functional spaces that work, are durable, flexible and look good.  Versatility in teaching spaces is of utmost importance to address the constantly changing programmatic needs of the academic community and changing teaching techniques and technologies.  Flexible spaces are so important to for 21^st Century Learning environments.