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The interior Superior Heights Collegiate & Vocational School
The interior Superior Heights Collegiate & Vocational School
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Superior Heights Collegiate & Vocational School
Rememberingthe Past, but Embracing the Future could be the motto of the designers, builders and administrators of the recently completed Superior Heights Collegiate & Vocational School in Sault Ste. Marie. Designed by Toronto firm ZAS Architects + Interiors and locally based MGP Architects Engineer Inc. in collaboration for the Algoma District School Board, this Grade 7 - to - 12 school pays tribute to Sir James Dunn and Bawating Collegiate, the two former under - enrolled schools which it has replaced. The new complex is a state - of - the - art learning institution with an array of features: a fully equipped computer technology wing, a dedicated area for special needs students, a four - quad gymnasium and a library centre with learning areas including seating around a comfortable fireplace. Another major feature is a sophisticated 150 - seat multimedia centre, complete with a Strand Lighting system and a Clancy rigging system supplied and installed by Scenework, the theatre design - build integrator. The Guelph - based firm also supplied and installed draperies and drapery track, staging platforms and accessories. Designed to meet Green School Best Practices criteria, the school is also a showcase of environmental features such as high - efficiency plumbing fixtures, abundant natural light and numerous lighting controls and sensors. It also has the distinction of being the first school built in Sault Ste. Marie in half a century, says director of education Mario Turco. "There have been many changes in education in the past 50 years," says Turco, referring to the challenges and opportunities facing the board after concluding that earlier schools had to be closed and merged into one new entity. After making that momentous decision, a contingent of board officials ranging from plant personnel to teachers and department heads and parents from both schools to superintendents to trustees, plus representatives from the architectural firms, conducted two fact - finding bus tours of modern schools throughout Ontario. "We picked the best of the best," says Turco, explaining that the diverse range of specialty classrooms and programs at Superior Heights can be traced back to what the tour participants saw and learned. And with a soaring full - height student forum that serves as its social, physical and psychological centre, the school has a campus - style flow and environment very similar to any post - secondary institution, says ZAS associate Costas Catsaros. The school is the product of consultations and brainstorming sessions with board administrators and an intense, compressed design process. "We went from schematic design to design development to completion of working drawings in four months," says Catsaros. High on the design teams priority list was location. Rather than purchase property, the board decided it should be on the Bawating Collegiate site near the intersection of North Street and the Second Line in the citys central core. Like many institutional buildings of its era, however, the structure was set well back. Rather than building on the old footprint, the architects successfully proposed the new school be built very close to Second Line in keeping with modern planning principles. As a result, it has a high streetscape presence and the street itself has a more distinct urban form. Besides allowing construction to proceed unencumbered while the school was being demolished, this strategy generated other dividends, says Catsaros. "By pulling the school closer to the street we created space to enlarge running track and add new soccer and football fields." Not withstanding the schools high profile on Second Line, its north exterior also projects a very public face with a two - and - half - storey entrance canopy. "There is no back side of the school," notes Catsaros. After passing through the canopy, users enter the student forum - a soaring, full - height pedestrian corridor with clerestory windows. It connects with a cafeteria/auditorium at the south end and is the entry point for the administration wing, the library and the gym, both of which have full - height windows. The emphasis on illumination does not end there, says Catsaros, citing studies that document the positive impact of light on student morale and participation. The library, gym and several other traditionally windowless areas also have skylights. "There is natural light in every room,"he says. General contractor Bondfield Construction began work in early 2009, and by the beginning of the academic year in September 2011, the building was ready for occupancy - although some work carried on into the fall, says Catsaros. "The good news is that we were on budget and on time," he adds. Meeting that deadline did require overcoming a number of hurdles, notably the sites soft and complex compressive soils. More than 400 60 - foot - deep steel piles had to be driven into the ground to support the 1,200 - ton steel superstructure, says Albert Celli, project engineer with structural consultant Halsall Associates. Long - span composite floor beams were used to maximize room sizes while providing flexibility and adaptability for future needs and renovations, he explains. Another challenge was a lack of skilled labour due in part to the citys building boom. The federal governments stimulus infrastructure program has been the catalyst for the construction of a number of other schools and institutional buildings, says MGP project architect Henry Pietrzakowski. Facilitating the construction schedule, though, was the boards decision in 2010 to move Bawating students out of that building and house them in the Sir James Dunn building. "That gave us an unencumbered site, with fewer concerns about security," says Pietrzakowski. As the local architectural firm, MGP monitored construction constantly. According to Pietrzakowski, "we were on site almost every day and near the end, we were there every day." Meanwhile, the creation of a new school culture and identity is developing, says the board of educations Mario Turco. That process began in September 2010 when two former schools merged to become Superior Heights Collegiate & Vocational School, even though the new school was still under construction. Turcos evaluation of the projects success can be best summarized by comments he made at the groundbreaking ceremony. "We are here today because of the commitment, support and encouragement from a lot of people who understood that by building a new school, we would be providing a facility with a superior learning environment that would meet the needs of students and allow our educational athletes to carry the torch of learning for the next 50 to 100 years."
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