THE CANOPIE
Like a biome, the school connects, embraces and incubates the five natural environments in which it is located. The school is divided into pavilions dedicated to these plant and animal habitats: the agricultural plain, the pine forest, the betula grove, the maple grove and the stream. These ecosystems become protected places where students are called upon to deepen their contact with natural heritage, to love it in its many forms and landscapes and to pay tribute to it. Beyond its academic program, this project proposes a healthy and active lifestyle for the community in all seasons.
The bold location of this school, in the center of the landscape and open to Mount Shefford, favors a symbiosis with its environment and respects the existing vegetation cover. With no fences, the school radiates out into the natural environment and becomes a vast permeable playground where children can explore, take ownership of their ecosystem and run from one point of interest to another in complete safety. Road access has been limited to the two ends of the site so as not to interrupt this precious microcosm of plenitude and to promote, instead, an active link between these two poles, in the form of a multifunctional trail.
Accessible from Route 112, the plain forms an experiential threshold on the north side, linked to the community vocation of the site. In order to preserve its landscape qualities, a partnership established with local farmers maintains their exploitation for the benefit of the community. A large esplanade along the Plain Pavilion welcomes Shefford residents of all ages to hold a public market and special events.
The arrival of students via the landing to the south is marked by a heavily reforested threshold with native seeding and plantings, connecting the maple grove and wetland. A green pedestrian/cyclist route invites an immersive transition to the heart of the site, through the maple grove or along the creek. The creek's riparian strip is completely naturalized.
The Canopy, the focal point of the school, is the name given to the interior courtyard because of its canopy, reminiscent of a forest. Its circular shape connects the pavilions and Mount Shefford, as if a centripetal force animates these six presences and makes them converge at its center. Students will gravitate to this canopy throughout their school career and will gather there with the seasons to learn, wonder and celebrate.
The sobriety of the architecture of the pavilions highlights their location, the landscape and the canopy. Built of wood and forming triangular caissons, the canopy includes openings of different sizes evoking the breakthroughs of light through the foliage of the trees.
The Pavilion of the Plain, by its scale and its location, integrates with the fields and signals its community vocation. The layout of the agora sets the stage for the interior courtyard and the mountain. Its terraces evoke the contours of a landscape and lend themselves to all types of activities for young and old alike. Overlooking the agora, the kitchen can be modified according to the needs, becoming sometimes a service counter in the background, sometimes an island in the center of the stage to present a culinary workshop.
The second floor, with its panoramic view, leads to the workshops and the teachers' room. The gymnasium benefits from a generous amount of natural light through its western window and linear skylight.
All the pavilions are connected by a true circular learning street, glazed and surrounding the interior courtyard. The pavilion of each cycle is crossed by a central circulation axis that connects the checkroom to the classrooms, emerging in an anti-classroom bathed in zenithal light. This axis is framed by two large wooden living walls with reading alcoves, display areas and various storage spaces. The collaborative spaces are treated as plazas with spaces for concentration and relaxation around the edges.
The Pine Grove and Betulaia Pavilions are used by kindergarten and first cycle students. Located near the daycare service and the cafeteria, a collaborative learning community space is set up at the junction of the two wings in which the little ones swarm.
The Pavillon de l'érablière is home to the second cycle of students, while the Pavillon du ruisseau, completely detached from the others, is the landmark of the third cycle. Both pavilions have the same qualities. Illuminated by a skylight and a picturesque view of the mountain, their learning street and collaborative space with its wooden walls has exceptional spatial qualities that promise students a unique contemplative experience.
The construction of this school is the object of an unprecedented laboratory aimed at maximizing the use of natural, innovative, renewable and sustainable materials. The thick, solid exterior walls are made of locally produced hemp concrete and offer high thermal performance. The roofs, built with light framework and abundantly insulated, have a skylight at the top that increases the natural light inside. Combined with this skylight, the windows in the facing classrooms optimize the natural ventilation in each pavilion.
Equipped with a geothermal system, the school is heated in the winter and tempered in the summer at lower cost. A radiant heating system integrated into the floor slabs ensures a comfortable environment in cold periods.
Learning cells associated with each of the five natural environments allow students to explore and discover the concepts of biology and ecology while immersed in the landscape. Playful installations designed to attract or promote the star species of fauna and flora of each of these environments are set up. Connected by a network of secondary trails, these cells represent a great potential of experiences that vary with the seasons.
The inner courtyard is composed of large sheltered spaces where large groups can gather and is compatible with diverse programming at any time of the year, sun, rain or snow. Circulation routes through the courtyard create sensory-rich subspaces where students can play freely or participate in educational activities. In the center of the courtyard, a slide-belvedere emerges above the canopy to allow children to admire the landscape.
The large courtyard, between plains and mountains, recalls the biophysical characteristics of the region through the development of alternating mounds and flats. Made by reusing excavated soil from the construction, these mounds form protected microclimates and lend themselves to a variety of free or organized games. In the winter, this courtyard becomes a real construction site where the kids build and experiment with forts, slides and sculptures.
Large portions of the courtyard are covered with an accessible native herbaceous overgrowth. The mound near the school is more constructed and houses integrated play equipment and walkable surfaces.
The multi-sport fields, wrapped between the pavilions and the pine forest, present a space sheltered from the wind and sun and is directly accessible from the gymnasium and community center. In the winter, the ice ring that winds through the pine forest becomes a Sunday gathering place for families.
(Competitor's text)
(Unofficial automated translation)
Stage 1:
The merit of this proposal is first expressed in the clarity of its concept, as well as the much-appreciated center and heart of this proposal, which focuses the entire school in a centrifugal movement. The courtyard that favors light and the interesting hierarchy are distinctive elements of this proposal. There is a nice lightness in the structure.
The arrival sequence is also appreciated by the jury members. The view from the dining room towards the mountain is striking! This proposal has a lot of potential that deserves to be worked on in a second stage.
Recommendations
Implementation, integration of the context and the landscape
It is fundamental to address the issue of the wetland by resituating the project in order to avoid it. It will also be necessary to think about the programming of the exterior spaces. The strength of the project is certainly the courtyard. It becomes a flagship element of the proposal and a place with a thousand possibilities for students of all ages. The jury asks for a reflection on the accesses in order to make them fluid and safe.
The potential for using the roof is not expressed in this proposal. The finalist is asked to consider this question. Can the flat roof be exploited? The microclimate of Mount Shefford is considered a meaningful learning context, so views to the outside should be further exploited.
Exterior design
Gathering spaces in the courtyard should be reviewed and challenged. Avoid filling the space with too many play modules and small assigned areas in order to take advantage of the maximum amount of space for children to gather.
Interior Design
Some spaces need to be rethought - for example, the rectangular classrooms need to be changed to L-shaped classrooms - and the geometry of the circulation needs to be reworked. The jury notes a weakness in the importance given to the bleacher, which should play a more important role. It is a must for the Lab-École, which will become the scene of oral presentations, scientific and technological demonstrations, and perhaps exchanges and debates that promote social interaction and citizenship.
The storage spaces reserved for the toddlers are questioned and the question of the changing rooms reserved for the preschoolers concerned the jury. In general, the jury emphasized the importance of correcting the orphaned spaces, those corners that make it more difficult to supervise the children.
The floor should be improved to give it a more pleasant view to the outside. There is a concern for the isolation of children with behavioural problems. Can we create small spaces so that teachers and complementary services (psychoeducator, etc.) can take charge of children in need? How can you create these small spaces of isolation that can also become places of collaboration?
Pedagogically, it will be important to provide interesting and intimate spaces for the students. It is necessary to ensure that there is storage and calming space for the children in each pavilion.
The model has some awkwardness that needs to be corrected (roof, ...) in order to create a better continuity. It would be advisable to give more amplitude to the places of collaboration. These spaces become essential in the socio-constructivist pedagogical approach where students will be called to discover and build their knowledge and skills together.
Stage 2:
Overall, the jury appreciates the radiating layout that potentially offers, for each of the pavilions, a variety of atmospheres in relation to the landscape. In addition, the jury sees the project's contribution to the various Lab-École projects, among other things, through the layout, which encourages physical activity. They also appreciate the presence of the large courtyard, which invites and encourages outdoor learning. This courtyard softens the transition from indoors to outdoors and provides cover to adapt to weather conditions and contribute to the diversity of learning spaces. Finally, the jury underlines the integration of innovative materials as well as the sustainable development intentions carried by the proposal.
In addition, the jury underlines its positive appreciation of the following features:
+ The relationship between the bleacher and the dining room, which constitutes a unifying heart to the project.
+ The bicycle path and the pedestrian path to the school.
+ The diversified exterior design.
+ The L-shape of the classrooms allowing for the creation of a sub-space that can be dedicated to other activities, such as reading.
+ The location and operation of the locker rooms.
+ The radiating architectural design adopts a relatively bold position for circulation, which encourages movement and is consistent with universal accessibility.
+ The pavilions with skylights create an interesting variety of scales in cross-section, which allows for a hierarchy of common spaces.
Finally, the jury has certain reservations about these elements:
+ The courtyard that cuts off the intake of a large amount of light and restricts the use of the exterior core.
+ The junctions between the volumes of the pavilions and the courtyard, which do not seem to have been resolved.
+ The lack of precision on the innovation of the envelope. Although the jury appreciates the intentions, the proposal and the discourse are not convincing in all points.
+ The main entrance to the project is difficult to identify.
+ The implementation that goes beyond the allocated site.
+ Although the radiating implantation in relation to the biodiversity of the site is appreciated, the views offered towards it from the learning spaces are not maximized.
+ The community pavilion does not take advantage of its height to offer views towards the mountain.
+ The planned link with the future community center is questionable.
(From jury report)
(Unofficial automated translation)
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