Located within Vancouver’s breezy Kitsilano neighbourhood, the newly constructed Bayview Elementary School has been carefully designed with student well-being in mind. The original building—built in 1913—was demolished in 2019 as part of the Vancouver School Board’s plan to upgrade and replace their schools with more seismically resilient structures, an important consideration for a city located on the Cascadia Subduction Zone. CLT panels were used in both the gravity and shear walls systems to better sustain seismic loads, while MTC Solutions fasteners and RICON S VS beam hangers contribute to the resiliency of the timber connections.
The school spans 3,510 square meters and accommodates up to 365 students in a contemporary learning environment that aims to foster the next generation as sustainably as possible. It boasts a preschool, two kindergarten classes, and 13 classrooms for grades one through seven. Two multi-purpose rooms, an open concept library, a learning commons, and extra-wide halls encourage flexible, collaborative learning opportunities, while solar shading reduces glare and contributes to the building’s energy efficiency.
The exposed SPF CLT panels and Doulas-Fir Glulam columns and beams add warmth and character to the interior spaces while also increasing the contact students have with nature, resulting in learning spaces that are soothing and promote wellbeing. The timber is locally sourced from eastern British Columbia, supporting local industries and minimizing carbon emissions. The updated mass timber building thus meets the district’s sustainability goals and LEED’s Gold rating while storing 1,137 metric tons of CO2. Finally, the vestibule doors, an arched window, and the mature trees on the grounds were all preserved from the original site to honor the heritage of the school. Bayview Elementary perfectly demonstrates how mass timber can contribute to the sustainability goal of providing for the next generation.
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