wek̓ʷan̓əs tə syaqʷəm Elementary School Bright, open plan connects students to the outdoors By hcma wək̓ʷan̓əs tə syaqʷəm Elementary School is the Vancouver School Board’s first completed school to be constructed entirely of prefabricated CLT (cross-laminated timber) panels, a material that reduces embodied carbon and makes for a calm and inspiring learning environment. The school is part of a Vancouver School Board pilot project to assess the possibilities of mass timber for future schools.
The $22.4m, 3,385 sq m / 36,436 sq ft school, which is pursuing LEED Gold certification, accommodates 340 students in a predominantly singlefamily residential neighbourhood in northeast Vancouver. The new school replaces an older school (constructed in 1922) which was at high seismic risk, not universally accessible, and with building systems past their service life. It will remain in use temporarily as a “swing site” on the top tier of the 1.4 hectare (3.45 acre) site with the new replacement school on the middle tier, and play areas on the lower tier. The older school will eventually be demolished to make way for a future sports field.
1. The $22.4m, 3,385 sq m / 36,436 sq ft school, which is pursuing LEED Gold certification, accommodates 340 students and is part of a Vancouver School Board pilot project to assess the possibilities of mass timber for future schools. Rooftop photovoltaic modules are estimated to generate about 38% of the school’s total energy use.
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