R.E. Mountain Secondary School

Location

Langley, BC

How do you create spaces for 1,700 students that foster community? This was the challenge when designing the new secondary school for Langley School District No. 35.

For students, it isn’t just their academic life that takes place at school, it’s where they make friends, realize their potential, and face the daily challenges of being a teenager.

Through natural light, ventilation, rational floor plans, improved visibility for staff, and connections to the outdoors, we designed a safe and comfortable environment that promoted and protected the vibrancy of high school life. The new school reflects the identity of an innovative, community-focused learning hub that respects the history and heritage of its location.

Client

This project was an important milestone for families and students in Langley. The Willoughby Slope area has the largest portion of undeveloped land in the Lower Mainland. Between January and April 2016, 71% of all construction in Langley occurred here. Due to this rapid growth in the community, schools in the area have been under tremendous enrollment pressure.

Design Response

To protect the quality of education and ensure students are safe and secure in schools, the school district asked us to work to an accelerated schedule. The project has been fast paced, with just nine months from concept design to tender and two years for construction.