Renderings of a modern, four-storey elementary school rising beside Hinge Park in Vancouver offer a glimpse of what the long-awaited Olympic Village school is going to look like. Architects McFarland Marceau Architects and the Vancouver school board have submitted a development permit application for the new elementary school, two months after Vancouver city council gave the green light to build a four-storey building at the site instead of the originally proposed three storeys.
School Design and Features
The building, at just under 60,000 square feet, is meant to accommodate 630 students, 26 classrooms, a library, gymnasium, multipurpose rooms, a rooftop area, and 60 before-and-after school child care spaces. It will be located on Columbia Street, north of Hinge Park and south of the seawall.
The renderings show a simple, boxy building, clad in grey metal panels with a grey brick veneer at the base. The colour is subdued, with splashes of colour at the windows. “The design celebrates the history of the site as part of traditional local nations territory,” said McFarland Marceau Architects in its submission. “The building will be welcoming, playful and expressive of its function as a school and community amenity.”
Main Entrance and Community Access
The main entrance faces north towards the False Creek waterfront, with silver metal panels on the facade that evoke the surface of water, meant to honour the First Nations who first lived on the land. The gymnasium and three multipurpose rooms will be on the ground floor for easy access to the community, which can use the spaces for sports or community events, while classrooms and academic spaces will be on the upper three floors.
The classrooms will mostly face north or south into the park rather than east towards Columbia Street to alleviate possible privacy concerns with neighbours. The exterior ground floor design is meant to come across as a “pavilion” in the park, with a wraparound porch and several built-in seating areas to promote socializing and create a welcoming space. The rooftop area is designed to be “highly transparent” with steel fencing enclosing the space, slightly set back from the roof’s edge.
Parking and Transportation
During February’s public hearing, residents expressed concern about the impact to livability, traffic congestion, and safety posed by a larger school. Four accessible parking spaces and two service parking spaces are proposed on the south side of the building, but no other parking spaces. There are six curbside spots along Columbia Street designated as pickup and drop-off points. A staff report said more than 80 per cent of students are expected to walk, roll or bike to the school.
Comments about the application can be submitted to the city until May 6.
