New School Concept
The new school was designed with the whole in mind but based on a phased approach. Aspects that influenced the placement and site layout of the new building include the existing buildings, setbacks, height restrictions, entrance and egress to the property and orientation. The school will need to fully operate during construction. Precedents that were used as inspiration for the new Rundle Academy School share the following characteristics including natural light entering the building, impressive volumes in the gathering spaces but still scaled appropriately for the student population, use of natural materials such as wood, clay, brick and stone, and a contemporary feel.
Building Site Plan
Design Guidelines
The new Academy will feel “home-like” and not institutional. The spaces are scaled to not intimidate. Comfortable seating is distributed throughout as well as the use of natural materials. Design considerations emphasize the Senior High School section as more sophisticated with a sense of “graduation”. Distractions in learning areas are minimized through thoughtful design of finishes, and control of viewpoints and sightlines. WIFI is ubiquitous throughout the school building. All classrooms are designed for interactive video to support Rundle Studio.
All spaces encourage interactions and collisions, maximizing opportunities for students and staff across all divisions to engage with one another. These happenstance interactions are very important to creating the welcoming and close-knit community at Rundle Academy. There is a distinct experience for all divisions within the school atmosphere. All occupied spaces have access to natural light and a view to the outdoors.
The Academy is in a community neighbourhood setting and values access and openness to the community. The grounds will not be fenced. The facility should have sufficient night lighting to support comfort and safety. Internally, security is managed through a culture of responsibility. All entrances are clearly marked, with the main entry to the Academy visible and identifiable from the main avenues of approach. The secondary entrance supports deliveries, and a community entrance supports entrance to the gym, cafeteria/kitchen, and atrium after hours. The school is designed using universal accessibility standards.
Internal view of the atrium space in the foreground. The social stair in the background leads up to the Learning Commons at the upper level. The bridge link is visible on the left linking the administration block with the educational wing. The gymnasium activities are visible through the storefront glazing on the lower left of the image.
Internal view down the upper floor level corridor with the flexible breakout space visible on the left. The classrooms are accessed from these breakout spaces. Clerestory windows allow natural light to penetrate the corridors. A window on the east of the corridor will allow morning sun to filter into the building when learners start their day.
Southwestern view looking towards the main entrance at the upper level and the main student entry at the lower level. The roof has been scaled to be more consistent with the surrounding residential uses – large sloping roof closer to the ground.
Northwestern view with the administration and learning commons on the front corner and the double volume height gymnasium behind these spaces.
Southeastern view with the classroom pods in the foreground. The classroom pods form smaller outdoor flexible spaces for the learners and teachers to use.
Project Phasing
After the initial studies were completed in the preliminary work section, it was determined that a two-phased approach would be the most feasible direction to pursue. In the first phase, the new classrooms will be constructed to the east of the existing buildings. A buffer space will be allowed between the new work and the existing buildings with a link on the ground floor and second floor between the existing Dorm building and the new classrooms. The first phase will house its own mechanical and electrical rooms, washrooms together with vertical circulation. In the second phase, the existing buildings will be demolished, and the rest of the spaces constructed. The spaces include the new gymnasium, atrium, cafeteria, kitchens, specialized teaching spaces, social stair theatre, administration.
Current Land Use
The current site is zoned as R-C1 (Low Density Residential District) which allows for schools to exist as a discretionary use. While the Academy has been operating on this site since early 2000s, the private school use was grandfathered as private schools are not a conforming land use under the R-C1 land use. We have now applied for a land use change and will run the Land Use and Development Permit process concurrently. We are requesting that this parcel of land be zoned to S-CS – Special Purpose – Community Services which allows for a private school as a discretionary use. This new land use is required to allow the proposed new school development to proceed within the applicable rules of the land use district.
The site is currently zoned as R-C1 (Low Density Residential District) with a Private School as an additional discretionary use. Maximum height under the zoning is 10 metres with a 45% coverage allowed or 3,984m² of the 8854m² lot size.
Site setbacks are as follows:
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Rear: 7.5m
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Sides: 1.2m
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Front: 1.2m
Preconstruction Schedule
TBD
TBD
