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Seabird Island School

LALME’ IWESATEXW (Seabird Island School)

Roof of School: Mimicing Surrounding Mountains

Seabird Island School

East Elevation of Seabird Island School

The above image is showing the south facade of the Seabird Island School. The south facade is important to the design of the school not only as a way to allow light into the building, but as a way to connect the community with the school._

Architect: Patkau Architects Location: Agassiz, British Columbia, Canada Client: Seabird Island Band Built: 1989-1991 Construction Style: Heavy Post-Timber Beam (Large scale of traditional construction of area) The Seabird Island School, or Lalme’ Iwesawtexw as the locals call it, is a building that relates to its surroundings, and brings the community together. The principle that lead the design of the building was the idea that the community would interact with the students directly and help educate them on the Salish culture that was being forgotten due to foreign influencesW.

SEABIRD ISLAND SCHOOL | AGASSIZ, BRITISH COLUMBIA | 1991 ARCH 3101 – 003 • FALL 2013 GIRTH | OLSEN

Context PATKAU ARCHITECTS

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The Epicenter of Seabird Island

Region

Reaching out into the Community

This diagram represents how the school reaches out to the fellow community building by being open on the south facade.

The school is easily assessable to all, not matterhow far away.

Intergrating the Community

The diagram above represents how the school is the center of the community now. The school has influence in every aspcet of the community, even the far reaches of it. The school has been made a focal point in the town and is a space that affects everyone in the community.

When designing the school, the community made it a clear point that they wanted the school to be a place where ideas from the community would be taught to the children. The Salish people saw the school as something that could save their culture from foreign influences. Over the 130 years since the reserve was created, many beliefs, ideas, and even the langauge of the people began to get lost. The school is a place where these ideas can be taught again to the next generation.

Since the school is the largest edifice on the reserve, it is multi-funtional. The school may host important events, community dinners, and is also a great place just to interact with others in the community.

SEABIRD ISLAND SCHOOL | AGASSIZ, BRITISH COLUMBIA | 1991 ARCH 3101 – 003 • FALL 2013 GIRTH | OLSEN

Integrating the Community PATKAU ARCHITECTS

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Assimilating into Surroundings

Social Context

Traditional Salish Traditions

Stand at local festival: Keeping the Culture allive!

Traditional Drying Racks: Used to presevre a days’ catch.

The Seabird Island Band and the Salish People

The diagram above is showing how the Seabird Island School uses the mountains as a source of inspiration with how to construct the roof of the school. This diagram also shows how the building seems to take on a zoomorphic form that relates back to the Salish culture.

The people who live at Seabird Island in British Columbia are a proud people who cherish their tradtions and culture. In order to keep their traditions and culture alive, the community decided they needed a school where they could pass down knowledge so it wouldn’t be lost forever. Thus the idea for the Seabird Island School was created.

The community was very involved in the design of the building, telling the architects exactly what they were looking for, and what they weren’t. One instance of what the Salish people didn’t want was an orthogonal school from it would remind them of a genocide that took place on the land some time before. With this is mind, Patkau architects created an irregular form which was suggestive to the people. By honoring the needs of the Salish people, the Seabird Island School now holds an importance to the community, that outsiders would not understand.

SEABIRD ISLAND SCHOOL | AGASSIZ, BRITISH COLUMBIA | 1991 ARCH 3101 – 003 • FALL 2013 GIRTH | OLSEN

Regional Geographical Context PATKAU ARCHITECTS

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Buildings already on site v. new additon: Lalme’ Iwesawtexw

Seabird Island Band Community Shared Areas

Site

Figure Ground

Built objects v. Green Space v. Primary Circulation around Site

Surrounding Context The Seabird Island School is situated in a flat valley that is surrounded by mountains on all sides.

In relationship to the rest of the site, the school is on the northern part of the u shape inwhich all other communtiy buildings are built. The building opens up toward the center of the u, gestering an interaction between the communtiy and the school. The grass areas that surround the school allow for even further interactions to take place between the community and the school.

The diagram to the right is representing all the buildings that make up the common area all the people of this community shares. The buildings range anywhere from a community center, pavilions, to the Seabird Island School.

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SEABIRD ISLAND SCHOOL | AGASSIZ, BRITISH COLUMBIA | 1991 ARCH 3101 – 003 • FALL 2013 GIRTH | OLSEN

“Turn in the River” PATKAU ARCHITECTS

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South Facade The south facing facade of the Seabird Island School is very a very important passive strategy, for it brings heat anf light to most of the school. The facade is clad with whitewashed plywood and windows, opening up the school toward the rest of the community. To make sure too much light or heat didnt get in at a certain time of year, the south facade is also designed with very large eaves.

These eaves create shande when needed, and also are a defining aspect of the project.

SEABIRD ISLAND SCHOOL | AGASSIZ, BRITISH COLUMBIA | 1991 ARCH 3101 – 003 • FALL 2013 GIRTH | OLSEN

Passive Strategies

South Facing Facade helps to bring natural light throughout the entire building.

Thse south facing facade is comprised of a mixutre of windows and whitewashed plywood, heloing to illuminate the building.

South Facing Facade PATKAU ARCHITECTS

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Mimicing Nature

Roof acts as mountains to protect the rest of the building.

Sustainable Strategies

Roof mimics mountain range to deflect the wind from the south facade of the building.

The Seabird Island School fits very well into its surroundings, and this is mostly because of the sculptural form the roof takes on. Patkau architects designed the roof the way they did so it mimiced how the mountains deflected wind in a certain direction. The roof is designed to delfect wind from the south facade and force it to the back ot the site. A question I have with this is what happens to the kids running on the track? Thats going to be a strong wind coming at you going down teh back strech!

SEABIRD ISLAND SCHOOL | AGASSIZ, BRITISH COLUMBIA | 1991 ARCH 3101 – 003 • FALL 2013 GIRTH | OLSEN

Wind Deflection PATKAU ARCHITECTS

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Changes in the Envelope

Envelope

The diagram above reprsents how the planks change color based off of orientation and exposure to the sun.

The skin envelope of the Seabird Island School consists of two materials. The first and most prominent in the asthetics of the building are the cedar shingles that can be found on the roof, west, and north facades. The cedar shingles were chosen because they help to further relate the building back to its environment when they begin to weather. Depending on the orientation, exposure to the elements, and placement on the building, the shingles can weather from silver-gray to a deep red brown.To contrast the shingles that cover the more sculptural parts of the building, the south and east facades are clad with translucent whitestained plywood panels.

The changes that one can witness on the outside gives a hint to changes that happen on the inside. As one travels through the building from north to south, the form and material of the building changes. At the most northern point (they gymnasium) the form of the building is very sculptural and clad with shingles (mimicing the mountain range). Moving southward in the building, the form begins to get smaller in scale and more regular in shape. This change can be seen on the outside with the change from shingles to a white washed finish. At the very end of the building, it opens up onto a patio space that connects the environment and community through a series of wood columns.

Skin Envelope

Materiality

This diagram is showing the change the envelope encounters on the west facade. The facade goes from an open space (porch) to a whitewashed smaller scaled area (classrooms), and finally to the shingles/ more sculptural area (gym/served spaces).

The above diagram is showing how the building has a different envelope even in elevation. The diagram is of the south facade of the school and is showing all the ways the building changes its envelope. The part called out in gray is calling out the whitewash finish that is on the south facade.

SEABIRD ISLAND SCHOOL | AGASSIZ, BRITISH COLUMBIA | 1991 ARCH 3101 – 003 • FALL 2013 GIRTH | OLSEN

Connecting Inside and Out PATKAU ARCHITECTS

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Customary Cultural Construction

Material Taxonomy

Materiality and Construction

Heavy timber post-and-beam construction is a traditional building technique for the region where the Seabird Island School was constructed, so a larger scale, engineered wood method was used to resemble local traditions. A detailed model was built to assist local community members with compex framing and connections. The folding and angular roof planes are covered in cedar shingles that will weather to a silver or a deep red color depending on weather conditions. The flexed and folded roof planes were designed to mimic the surrounding mountains in both its form and the worn and weathered effect of the cedar shingles.

SEABIRD ISLAND SCHOOL | AGASSIZ, BRITISH COLUMBIA | 1991 ARCH 3101 – 003 • FALL 2013 GIRTH | OLSEN

Contruction Methods PATKAU ARCHITECTS

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Main Structural Grid

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East-West Section

Structural Diagrams

Structural Sections

North-South Section

The Structure of Spreading Wings The entire structural framework of Seabird Island School remains exposed on both the interior and the exterior. The southern community gathering porch has a clearly defined and gridded structural pattern and the other structural colums loosly follow this same pattern. The south facing face, is larger in scale and openness compared to the other sides of the school and more structural colums are concetrated here. Also, the non-orthogonal form of the building satisfies cultural needs whih affects the structural grid and complexity.

SEABIRD ISLAND SCHOOL | AGASSIZ, BRITISH COLUMBIA | 1991 ARCH 3101 – 003 • FALL 2013 GIRTH | OLSEN

Structural Alignment PATKAU ARCHITECTS

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Relation to the Larger Site Formation

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Formal Rhythm

Grid and Expansion Relations

Roof Geometry Some simple rhythmic patterns were developed through the division of spaces in section, and with the expansion of unique spaces away from the center of the school building. No significant grid can be overlayed to define the roof geometries but the sections of the school are loosly defined by purpose and function. On a larger scale, The Seabird Island School is meant to be the focal point of the community as it heads the u-shaped community buildings. The school opens up onto the courtyard as the other community buildings gather around the school.

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SEABIRD ISLAND SCHOOL | AGASSIZ, BRITISH COLUMBIA | 1991 ARCH 3101 – 003 • FALL 2013 GIRTH | OLSEN

Formal Patterns PATKAU ARCHITECTS

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Program N

Teaching Gardens and Porch

Teaching Gardens

Porch and Drying Racks

The teaching gardens are an important part of the education at the Seabird Island School. The gardens are so important because it teaches the children how to “farm” at a small scale before they head out on their own. (The region is known for agriculture). The porch is essential to the school and the community life. The south facing porch is the threshold between the school and the community. The main entrance is on axis with the community center across the field, again further the coheriance between the school and the communtiy. The porch is mulit-functional depending on the event and time of year. These two aspects of the school have become an intragal part of the community at Seabird Island.

SEABIRD ISLAND SCHOOL | AGASSIZ, BRITISH COLUMBIA | 1991 ARCH 3101 – 003 • FALL 2013 GIRTH | OLSEN

Public Outdoor Areas PATKAU ARCHITECTS

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Program N Classrooms

Primary Classrooms (K-6)

Secondary Classrooms (7-12)

The school is split into two different schools: Primary school (k-6) and Secondary School (7-12). To the right you have the primary school classrooms where gerneal education and culture are taught to the young kids, and to the left the same is happening to students seventh grade through senior year.

SEABIRD ISLAND SCHOOL | AGASSIZ, BRITISH COLUMBIA | 1991 ARCH 3101 – 003 • FALL 2013 GIRTH | OLSEN

Primary and Secondary Classrooms PATKAU ARCHITECTS

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Program N

Special Areas in the School

Left: Science Classroom

Right: Home Economics

Covered area for primary school kids to play.

The two classrooms above are important and different compared to the other classrooms because these are classrooms that are mostly used by the community during events. The home economic room doubles as the kitchen during school time and the kitchen during events. Because you can access the inside from anywhere on the porch, having this kitchen makes events go more smoothly. The science classroom is used for experiments and other higher level science activities. The covered play area for the primary school kids is used when they cannot go out and play usually because of incliment weather. Again they can access this area from their classroom thus making going out time a lot easier on the students and teachers.

SEABIRD ISLAND SCHOOL | AGASSIZ, BRITISH COLUMBIA | 1991 ARCH 3101 – 003 • FALL 2013 GIRTH | OLSEN

Specialized Areas PATKAU ARCHITECTS

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Program N Each School has their own reading rooms and library.

Reading Rooms and Serious Business

Office space for teachers. (Shared between priamry and secondary school teachers)

Each of the schools have their own reading rooms and libraries.This allows for each age group to focus is their way, without distrupting the others. The office is a shared space between the teachers in both schools. The office is centrally located allowing for the teachers to get back to their rooms without much effort.

SEABIRD ISLAND SCHOOL | AGASSIZ, BRITISH COLUMBIA | 1991 ARCH 3101 – 003 • FALL 2013 GIRTH | OLSEN

Reading and Offices PATKAU ARCHITECTS

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Program N Physical Education

Locker Room (Shared between Grades)

Gymnasium (shared between all grades, is mulit-functional all school for Community

The Gymnasium and locker rooms are pretty much the only spaces that are shared between the grades. The shape of the gym is very sculptural to help deflect the strong winds coming down from the mountains away from the south facade. They gymnasium opens up in the back to a field and a track for the kids to exercise on.

SEABIRD ISLAND SCHOOL | AGASSIZ, BRITISH COLUMBIA | 1991 ARCH 3101 – 003 • FALL 2013 GIRTH | OLSEN

Reading and Offices PATKAU ARCHITECTS

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Service and Functional Space Plan

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Mechanical Systems

Functional Space Section

North-South Section

Service Spaces in Section The functional spaces of the Seabird Island School are used less frequently. These spaces include: the primary and secondary libraries, a reading room, and a work room. A general office and reception area are included in these spaces. The central location gives everyday school users access to these mechanical and necessary spaces.

SEABIRD ISLAND SCHOOL | AGASSIZ, BRITISH COLUMBIA | 1991 ARCH 3101 – 003 • FALL 2013 GIRTH | OLSEN

Service Spaces PATKAU ARCHITECTS

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Community Spaces v Semi-Private Spaces Plan

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North-South Section

Physical Education

Public vs. Private Space

Section

The public spaces in these diagrams is depicted with grey shading while the more private spaces are outlined. The public spaces include: The porch, the gymnasium, and the main circulation paths.

The private spaces are the libraries, reading room, the office, and other similar service related spaces. The public spaces are used constantly, by community members and students, while the private spaces are accessed only by a few individuals primarily for school use.

SEABIRD ISLAND SCHOOL | AGASSIZ, BRITISH COLUMBIA | 1991 ARCH 3101 – 003 • FALL 2013 GIRTH | OLSEN

Community and Individual Space PATKAU ARCHITECTS

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Bringing Community Together

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Solid vs. Void

Building Interconnectivity

Gathering Spaces The void spaces are the most important gathering areas of the Seabird Island community: the southern porch and the courtyard lawn between the other community buildings. The porch can be considered either the solid or the void depending on what scale you are looking at. On the larger scale, it is a void, fitting in with the surrounging landscape, acting as an extension of the school.

Closer up the porch is a solid, with a large number of people, with people gathering there rather than inside the school.

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SEABIRD ISLAND SCHOOL | AGASSIZ, BRITISH COLUMBIA | 1991 ARCH 3101 – 003 • FALL 2013 GIRTH | OLSEN

Community Interaction Space PATKAU ARCHITECTS

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Main Circulation Plan

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Circulation

Sectional Movement

North-South Section

Paths A main focas and purpose of the schools design was to provide the best possible connection between the school, it’s students, and the surrounding community, so the main aspects of the school are directly connected to the community gathering space. The traversing, south-facing porch, works to welcome people into the school from the surrounding area, and mediate between the school environment and the outside environment. The structure of the porch creates a dramatic entry path, as it modulates the connection each classroom has with the outside.

SEABIRD ISLAND SCHOOL | AGASSIZ, BRITISH COLUMBIA | 1991 ARCH 3101 – 003 • FALL 2013 GIRTH | OLSEN

Movement Through Space PATKAU ARCHITECTS

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Section Hierarchy

Spatial Hierarchy

Distinguished Spaces

North-South Section

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Primary Spaces There are three main spaces that are used most frequently and are the most important including, the gathering porch, the classrooms, and the gymnasium. These spaces satisfy the communities need for education, community events, and cultural celebration. On a larger scale, the most important spaces are the central courtyard area, the surrounding buildings create, and the Seabird Islnad School porch. The spaces in grey are the most important and influential.

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SEABIRD ISLAND SCHOOL | AGASSIZ, BRITISH COLUMBIA | 1991 ARCH 3101 – 003 • FALL 2013 GIRTH | OLSEN

Programatic Importance PATKAU ARCHITECTS

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