First green school points to the future

The library is accessible directly from the main entrance of the school. the double height space receives ample daylight from the adjacent courtyard and is animated by sloping structural elements and a suspended resource room.

by Barry Sampson

The first of a new generation of high performance ‘green schools’ by the Toronto District School Board, Thomas L. Wells is intended to serve as a model demonstrating sustainable design principles and an enhanced learning environment.
With the conviction that architecture can play an instrumental role in the education of children, the school is designed as a terrain for engagement with learning, society and the environment. (more…)

Water and energy conservation highlight mixed commercial / residential

The master plan required an almost full build-out of the site, a former parking lot. Located in an older single-family and store front neighbourhood, The Vento uses sensitive massing and varied exterior finishing materials. Along with 100% of the rainwater falling on the site, water from sinks, showers and bathtubs is stored and re-used for toilet flushing and site irrigation - the first project in Alberta to be granted approval for such. Moreover, the project has achived energy efficiency of 47% as compared to the MNECB.

The Vento is a three-storey mixed use development of 3,613 sq.m, with retail space and two affordable housing units on the ground floor, and 22 two-storey suites above. The project is part of the first phase in the comprehensive redevelopment of a former hospital site in suburban Calgary. (more…)