4 minute read
Evanston community welcomes St. Josephine Bakhita School
BY CINDY CHAN
The newly built St. Josephine Bakhita School is now home to exciting, modern features that will improve the learning and teaching experience. Construction started in early 2020 and wrapped up in April 2021, with the school opening its doors to students in September 2021. According to Grant MacDonald, director of construction for the Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD), funding for this project came through a capital announcement via Alberta Education. Through a partnership, CCSD, Alberta Education, and Alberta Infrastructure managed the project, and the Alberta government approved funding for the school. The Evanston community needed a K-6 school, according to Paula Robinson, principal of St. Josephine Bakhita School. “Evanston is a vibrant community full of children. Our school serves Catholic families who reside in Evanston and live in our attendance area,” Robinson says. “Having a school in the community allows children to walk and bike to school, and enjoy school
functions and community events together. Our beautiful playground is enjoyed by the community all year.” “Construction of the project was procured through a publicly tendered design-bid-build strategy,” MacDonald says. “The construction collaboration between Elan Construction Ltd., Oystryk Taff Architecture Ltd., and the CCSD resulted in a construction project that finished just ahead of schedule, slightly below budget, and to the highest quality. This new school will service students in Evanston for future generations to come.” Other members of the team included BEI Engineering (structural consultant), Remedy Engineering (mechanical consultant), SMP Engineering (electrical consultant), and People Places Design Inc. (landscape architect). The one-storey, 3,513-squaremetre facility is targeting LEEDV4 Silver certification, built with a mix of durable materials including brick, concrete, and metal. Solar panels cover approximately 50 per cent of the school’s roof, and sensors are located on all plumbing fixtures to limit water usage.
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The school has heat recovery on ventilation, displacement ventilation, and electric vehicle charging stations. The interior consists of bright colours, some accents in the flooring, and added coloured fabric acoustic panels to achieve the required acoustic performance. St. Josephine Bakhita School is L-shaped, allowing for maximum supervision from any point of the school. Since this is a Catholic school, two metal crosses are inlaid into the brick at the entrance of the building. “We work with the CCSD quite a bit. At the end of the day, the
most important thing is the school represents the Catholic faith. We give students and inspiring learning environment to learn, grow, and develop, and our client is happy,” Monika Oystryk, architect and principal for Oystryk Taff Architecture Ltd., says. “The learning commons and the main entrance are the focal points of the school. The gym is at the centre of the building across from the front entrance,” MacDonald adds. “ECS classrooms have their own separate entrance. Two classroom wings lead to modular with augmented clerestories for maximum natural light.” “We started off by stripping the site and excavating for foundations,” Joe Gourlay, site superintendent, Elan Construction, says, adding the project was executed in four phases. “After foundations, the masonry started right away. At that point, structural steel was brought to the site.” After the masonry went up, the building was tied together with steel and roof joists that continued around the building. Plumbing and electrical was going on during this process. Roofing flowed, as well as drywall. “Once we got the structural steel done, they started with drywall framing and enclosing the buildings.” Gourlay says. Megan Heimann, construction manager for Elan Construction, says the school also features a mezzanine floor for a mechanical room. “The school was full as soon as it opened,” Oystryk says. “There was a need for an elementary school in that area, as it is a fast-growing community.” “The school provides more opportunities for families in the area,” Heimann says, adding the permanent core school accommodates 300 students with 13 classrooms. The modulars allow for 300 students in total with 12 classrooms for a total capacity of 600. For more information, visit stjosephinebakhita.cssd.ab.ca. n
