For Children
Gregory A. Hogan Catholic Elementary School & Child Care Centre
The new Gregory A. Hogan French Immersion Catholic Elementary School, located in Sarnia Ontario, provides a two storey, 6634m2 facility for 659 students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8. The building also accommodates an 88 space Child Care Centre on the Ground Floor, with a dedicated entrance, exterior play area, as well as strategic connection to the kindergarten wing and school common spaces. The school consists of 5 kindergarten classrooms, 23 classrooms, music room, double gymnasium, a multipurpose community room, a two storey learning commons with a mezzanine level and various administration spaces for staff. The main entrance for the school opens into a double height atrium with an abundance of natural light through clerestory windows and maintains open circulation to the second floor as well the office, community room and learning commons on the ground floor. The new school extends the St. Clair Catholic District School Board’s campus on The Rapids Parkway, adding a new French Immersion elementary school to complement the adjacent existing elementary and secondary school buildings. The 3.2 hector site provides the Gregory A. Hogan community with a dedicate parent drop off lane at the front of the school, 129 parking spaces for staff and visitors, a hard surface play area for students with basketball courts, landscaped play features and a full size soccer field for school, as well as community use. The exterior building was specifically designed to fit in with the architectural language of the surrounding St. Clair Catholic District School Board’s existing schools, using similar building materials in a modern interpretation to create a campus like environment. Elements on the exterior and interior of the building were incorporated to celebrate both the Catholic faith and the Francophone culture of the school community.
Oak Creek Public School/Child Care/Early ON/Community Centre
The new Oak Creek Public School is located in southwest Kitchener and is a collaboration between the Waterloo Region District School Board, the City of Kitchener, the YMCA, and Rising Oaks Child Care. Within the new building, a 613 pupil Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8 Elementary School, Community Centre, EarlyON Centre and 88 space Child Care Centre will come together to create a new hub for the community. The new building was strategically designed with a linear pattern of coloured curtain wall in contrasting colours for the School, Community Centre/Early ON Centre and Child Care Centre to make it easy for visitors to clearly identify the three main building entrances. The site was organized with two separate parking areas on each side of the building to optimize traffic flow as well as clear walking pathways linking Tartan Avenue to the exterior amenities at the north side of the site. The two storey 81,537 sf school consists of 5 kindergarten classrooms on the ground floor and 16 classrooms on the second floor with adjacent break out pods for group collaboration. The school also contains an alternate ed room, art room, science room, music room, a double height library with circulation to the second floor, a triple gymnasium shared with the community centre, and various administration spaces for staff. The shared entrance for the Community Centre and Early ON Centre at the west end of the site opens into a 1.5 storey atrium space which physically and visually links the reception desks, multipurpose program spaces, gymnasium access and shared gender neutral washrooms creating a welcoming collaborative space for both facilities.
St. Angela Merici Catholic Elementary School & Child Care Centre
The new St. Angela Merici Catholic Elementary School located in northwest Chatham was designed to accommodate 590 students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8 and established a new standard for elementary education for the St. Clair Catholic District School Board. The facility also includes a new Child Care Centre with infant, toddler and pre-school classrooms for 49 children. The project brought together three existing north Chatham school communities and provided them with a new state of the art collaborative education facility. During the design phase, extensive input sessions were held to ensure that the specific needs of these communities were represented within the new building. St. Angela Merici Catholic Elementary School is located directly north of McNaughton Ave, with the main entrances for both the school and the Child Care Centre facing south to allow for clear visibility from the street. The site was carefully designed to optimize bus and vehicular circulation by providing two separate parking areas, one for parent drop off, visitor and Child Care parking and the other for bus drop off and staff parking. The site also includes a fenced in Child Care exterior play area, a hard surface exterior playground with basketball courts, 3 soccer fields and a landscaped exterior classroom accessible from the Learning Commons. The new two storey school provides 5 kindergarten and 21 standard classrooms, a double gymnasium with retractable stage, a two storey Learning Commons designed to reflect the needs of both the primary and senior students, a community room and a unique atrium space, designed to accommodate community events and religious ceremonies.
Sir Arthur Currie Child Care Centre
Designed as part of a new facility that includes a new elementary school, and a Family Centre, Sir Arthur Currie Child Care Centre accommodates 88 children on the Ground Floor of the building and includes an Infant Area, Toddler Area, Preschool Area, and related administrative and support spaces. The Child Care Centre shares an entrance with the Family Centre, but maintains controlled access to the centre itself. The Play Rooms are designed around an internal skylit Gross Motor Space, providing activity space where children of various age-groups can come together for activities. Each Play Room has access to the exterior play yards, which has been designed to incorporate natural materials and play pieces. Internal connections between the Child Care Centre, the Family Centre, and the school, encourages staff to develop community, and share their knowledge of Early Childhood Education.
St. John Early Childhood Learning Centre
St. John Early Childhood Learning Centre was developed as part of a new elementary school, and represents a collaborative effort between London Bridge Child Care Services Inc., and the London District Catholic School Board. Located on the west side of the building, the Child Care Centre accommodates 62 children and incorporates an Infant Area, Toddler Area, Preschool Area and support spaces. The School and Child Care Centre function independently; however internal access is provided between the two functions. Designed to incorporate London Bridge’s approach to child care, the design creates a canvas for the delivery of the Reggio Emilia methodology; natural materials and colours, create a light-filled environment, where children can explore their surroundings
Family Centre Fox Hollow
Family Centre Fox Hollow was designed as part of a facility that includes a new elementary school and child care centre, located in a developing neighbourhood in northwest London. Our first family centre that was developed as part of a new building, this project allowed us to explore the ideal relationship between the Family Centre, the school and the child care centre, creating interconnected views – to display the activities of the Family Centre to the school community, while providing an identifiable entrance and identity for the Family Centre. The Family Centre incorporates large and small Multi-Purpose Rooms, a Teaching Kitchen, a Consultation Room, a Resource Room, and related support spaces. The Family Centre and Child Care Centre utilize a shared entrance to provide a separately controlled access point from the school; however controlled internal access between all three functions facilitates collaborative opportunities between centre and school staff.
Family Centre Westminster
Located in St. Francis Catholic Elementary School, Family Centre Westminster was designed both as an addition to the existing school building, and as a renovation of unused space within the school. Developed in collaboration with the City of London, the South London Neighbourhood Resource Centre, and the London District Catholic School Board, the centre accommodates the programmatic requirements of multi-purpose rooms, community kitchen and consultation rooms, while responding to the context of the neighbourhood and the site, including a larger common/ lobby space and an outdoor garden area. Natural light floods the common spaces and multi-purpose rooms, and a warm, inviting environment welcomes the children and families.
Family Centre Argyle
Family Centre Argyle was developed within excess space in Lord Nelson Public School, and represents a unique collaboration with the school community, the Thames Valley District School Board and Merrymount Children’s Centre. Constructed adjacent to the school’s Kindergarten spaces, the centre was integrated into the school, while maintaining security. Internal spaces were reconfigured to provide a children’s play room/multipurpose room, a community kitchen, a resource/consultation room for visiting practitioners, as well as a large meeting room and interprofessional work room. A new canopy/ entrance identifies the Family Centre, and new window openings ensure that natural light, and the warm and inviting environment common to all Family Centres was achieved.
White Oaks Family Centre
Developed as part of the City of London’s strategy to provide programming and support to families in higher needs areas, the White Oaks Family Centre was designed as an addition to the White Oaks Public School/South London Community Pool complex. Partners in the collaborative development of the design included the London Children’s Connection, the City of London and the Thames Valley District School Board. The addition provides a children’s play room/multipurpose room, with an “en-suite” community kitchen, a resource/ consultation room for visiting practitioners, as well as a large meeting room and interprofessional work room. Natural light, a warm and inviting environment and the ability to connect to the remainder of the complex while maintaining security were the key elements of the design.
Milestones Children’s Centre
Milestones Children’s Centre, located in southeast St. Thomas, provides 118 child care spaces for infant, toddlers, preschoolers and JK/ SK children. Designed to afford all of the play rooms beautiful views of the surrounding mature trees, the plan of the centre “wraps” around a stand of mature pines, creating a secure courtyard to the southwest of the centre. A long, covered porch faces the main playground to the north, providing a sheltered play space that is accessible from the play rooms and available in all weather. Internally, the functional arrangement of spaces promotes independence for the child and ease of supervision for their care providers. The lively and colourful selection of interior finishes makes this a truly child-centred environment.
Northbrae Best Start Child Care Centre & Community Hub
Conceived as an expansion to an existing public elementary school, the design for the Northbrae Best Start Child Care Centre and Community Hub accommodates a 60 space child care centre, as well as a large multi-purpose room and office/ examination rooms for visiting consultants and medical professionals. Designed to accommodate a variety of groups providing services to this diverse community, the multi-purpose room provides space for meetings, group activities, as well as a teaching kitchen area. Issues of security for the existing school and the new child care centre were considered as part of the design, as often the community hub is open for longer periods of time – visual supervision of each area is provided through the strategic location of the main reception and security is provided through the ability to open and secure the various function of the building as required.
Thames Valley Children’s Centre
The addition and alterations to Thames Valley Children’s Centre began with the development of a reorganization and expansion plan that re-conceptualized the organization of the facility, as well as the delivery of services to the Centre’s clients. From this Functional Programming phase, Conceptual Plans were developed for the expansion, including the addition of a third floor to the existing two storey facility. Program spaces include open and private office spaces, a video-conferencing suite, multi-purpose/ meeting rooms and treatment spaces. Natural lighting, clear circulation and way-finding through the organization of interior spaces were the guiding elements of the design.
