Chute Lake Elementary School, a Candidate for LEED Silver Certification

Chute Lake Elementary School reflects unique community attributes, a candidate for LEED® Silver certification

Gregg Brown and Nick Bevanda know a thing or two about teamwork. The two architects, principals of KMBR Architects Planners Inc. and Bevanda Architecture Inc. respectively, have successfully collaborated on the recently constructed Chute Lake Elementary School, completed for School District No. 23 of Kelowna, B.C. The project is the seventh in a series of projects in the Okanagan Valley, following the replacement of Penticton Secondary School, an expansion to Mount Boucherie Secondary School, and the completion of the Central Okanagan Hospice House. The two firms are also working together on the renovation and expansion of the Southern Okanagan Secondary School, scheduled to begin construction in the spring of 2010.

The relationship between the two firms began in 2003 with the design of Penticton Secondary School. Led by Brown and Bevanda, the project was a multifaceted one, involving the preservation and incorporation of two nearby heritage buildings. It was this experience – with all its challenges and complexities – that laid the groundwork for a partnership based on collaborative innovation. Since then, the two men and their firms have combined their values in design and client service to create meaningful architecture that meets the unique requirements of their clients throughout the Okanagan Valley. This is exemplified with the recently completed Chute Lake Elementary.

Drawing largely from Brown and Bevanda’s educational facility planning expertise, work on Chute Lake began in 2007. The mandate was to meet the Ministry of Education’s challenging schedule, which included a two-phase feasibility study, Ministry approvals and detailed design over a course of only 14 months. The school is designed for a student capacity of 350 students plus two kindergarten classes, with a construction budget of approximately $10.5 million.

The design team, consisting of the architects, consultants and school district representatives (including administrators, facility planners and capital project coordinators), was successful in providing a scheme and meeting the challenging schedule. Integral to this achievement was the firms’ common design philosophy, and particularly their shared use of integrated processes and Building Information Modeling (BIM) software, including Revit-Architecture by Autodesk. The project was tendered in the spring of 2008 and awarded to Greyback Construction Ltd., providing a bid of $9,180,000.

The building is located in a newly-constructed residential area in the upper Mission area of south Kelowna. The area borders the Kettle Valley subdivision, distinguished by its New Urbanism character. The concept was to create a compact twostorey school that reflected the unique attributes of this area, while maximizing the potential for the site. In addition to the building, playing fields, outdoor gathering spaces, play equipment and parking for staff and visitors were organized on the 5.4-acre site.

Situated on the southwest corner of the property, the school overlooks the playing fields. It provides safe, easy access for parents dropping off their children as well as direct access to the kindergarten rooms located on the lower floor, adjacent to the play equipment. The site allows for families to access the property with a connection between two bordering streets.

The building axis follows the east-west contours to minimize earthworks and to achieve the optimal north-south orientation for the long sides of the building. This orientation is particularly important for sun control, and also happens to take advantage of the good views to the north over the park and playfields.

Bevanda’s role as a key community liaison informed the many community design elements incorporated into this project. Community/recreational spaces are clustered at the west end of the building, which is also the most public side of the site. The main entrance lobby creates a social heart to the school and serves to accommodate large numbers of occupants who may be using the gym and/or multi-purpose room for various community functions. Off the main entrance lobby is the administration area, library, gym, kitchen servery, and multi-purpose room which will all contribute to a sense of vitality and community at the central hub of the school. A single classroom is also located within the community-use end of the school so that community meetings and before/after school care can be accommodated outside of normal school hours. The entrances are designed to allow the non-community use spaces to be secured when school is not in session.

The multi-purpose room is designed to be usable for music and drama activities, and can open into the gym for performances, acting as the stage, or as a backstage area for a stage platform set up in the gym. The kitchen can serve the multi-

purpose room or to the hall outside of the gym.

Primary and kindergarten classrooms are located on the ground floor, where direct access to the outdoors is possible and most appropriate. Kindergarten classrooms are designed to be interchangeable with general classrooms, adding longterm adaptability.

Intermediate classrooms occupy the second floor. An open work area shared by all classrooms is provided on the second floor overlooking the lobby for activities that cannot easily be accommodated in the classrooms, or where more than one classroom is collaborating in an activity. The second level also provides access to a mechanical corridor located above the second-floor classrooms in the ceiling space. This unique location provides easy access to the mechanical system by maintenance staff, as well as access to the roof.

A portion of the Special Education area allocation is used for small “quiet” rooms attached to classrooms and distributed around the school. These rooms will facilitate itinerant teachers working one-on-one with students and can accommodate multiple educational uses, including small group projects, quiet student activities, cooperative teacher planning, and counseling.

Infused into the design of each of these components was KMBR’s experience in LEED® design, particularly as it relates to schools. One such LEED® consideration was the use of natural light. Upon entering the school, the visitor is struck by the amount of natural light filtering into the large lobby. This is the common denominator between both floors and minimizes the need for day lighting.

Other considerations feeding into our LEED® strategy

included: • Reducing the development footprint including erosion and sediment control;

Management of storm water;

Inclusion of bicycle racks;

Reducing the Heat Island Effect for roof and non-roof elements;

Minimizing light pollution;

Reducing water use by 20 per cent;

Incorporating a commissioning agent on the consultant team;

Incorporating mechanical systems with minimum energy requirements that reduce CFCs, eliminate halons and provide ozone protection;

Incorporation of renewable energy systems (Photo Voltaic);

Incorporating a recycling program;

Managing construction waste;

Using regional materials;

Interior and exterior spaces incorporating durable materials; Incorporating materials that are low emitting, contributing to the indoor air quality; Monitoring carbon dioxide levels; Providing day lighting and views to 90 per cent of the spaces; Incorporating a ‘green’ housekeeping strategy; Creating an education program that provides information describing the energy created from photovoltaic cells to a website accessible by the public; Drawing upon a LEED® Brown). accredited professional (Gregg

The school is a candidate for LEED®

Silver certification. The overall character of Chute Lake Elementary School is contemporary, while relating to the nearby New Urbanism neighbourhood through the use of materials and colours. What’s more, the project is proof that when two firms combine their strengths and work together, the result is a sustainable, well-designed school that can serve as the centre of the community for years to come.

“The school, staff and students are thrilled with the new facility," states Judy Shoemaker, planning manager for School District No. 23. ❏

B E V A N D A R C H I T E C T U R E TM

Email: studio@bevanda.ca

#208 - 399 Main Street, Penticton, B.C. Canada V2A 5B7 Tel: 250 492 1005 Fax: 250 492 5999