University Hill Elementary School

In addition to its distinct natural setting, the elementary school brings together students from a diverse set of backgrounds and cultures. The new school was planned and built on the same site as the existing school. This required careful staging of the construction process to accommodate the on-going use of the existing school, which was demolished upon the new building’s completion.

hcma conducted interactive workshops with students, parents, teachers and staff to establish design options.  The result was an open, brightly-coloured and light-filled facility organized into two distinct areas: the general instruction area which includes classrooms, projects areas, seminar rooms, and library and the remainder of the school which is intended to be accessible to the community after school hours.

Community accessible areas include the gymnasium, multi-purpose room and kitchen, administration and washroom facilities. Designed for a student population of 450 students with a 200 m² childcare facility, University Hill Elementary School offers large open project spaces and intimate seating areas for small groups. The site layout carefully respects the natural setting while offering safer pedestrian access, a secure play environment and preservation of trees and existing playing fields.