It takes a Village to Raise a School

When you're a kid, you don't pay much attention to the school around you.  Friends, yes; classes, maybe; but what the floor is made of and where those materials came from are not questions burning on the brain of many third graders.  But what if you could make that building come alive for children before they even stepped through the door?  At Samuel Brighouse Elementary School, the EllisDon team did just that, ultimately hardwiring students with values that will last a lifetime.

The Sustainable Life

Even in the planning stages, the Richmond School District knew they wanted the replacement school to be a teaching tool for all 505 future students.  Natural lighting and ventilation, green roofs and geothermal heating were just some of the sustainable strategies incorporated in Perkins+Will's high performance design, and EllisDon wanted to provide the opportunity for students to see each initiative unfold.  Working with the sub-trades to temporarily suspend construction early on in the project, the Ellis Don team created designated hazard-free zones, providing each child at the existing Brighouse Elementary the opportunity to safely tour the site.  Peppering site staff with questions, the students got an up-close look at the design and construction practices that would help their unique school achieve LEED^® Gold. 

It takes a Community

Community values and involvement were central to the creation of Brighouse Elementary School.  The entire school was designed to provide interactive, collaborative workspaces for the students, while also incorporating a Neighbourhood Learning Centre as a vital part of the school program.  In partnership with the YMCA, this Learning Centre addresses the needs of not only the students and their families, but the community as a whole.  After-school care, literacy programs, and a community garden all provide close connections between the Learning Centre and the Brighouse Elementary School.  With such a wide-range of programmatic requirements, the design process involved the hands-on input and cooperation of multiple stakeholders.  Students, parents, staff, the school district, consultants and policy makers all sought to create a building that coupled cherished school memories with future community growth.  

Collaboration breeds Success

The combined effort of multiple stakeholders not only ensured pride and support from the community, but also became closely linked with the sustainable measures of the school.  Cooperation between EllisDon and the design team in their use of renewable energy systems, such as solar hot water, resulted in a $40,000 grant from BC's Solar for Schools Project.  Promoting the use of BC products and BC`s Wood First program, the team found a way to pre-fabricate most of the wood structure, creating more flexibility in the construction schedule.  The result?  Brighouse Elementary was turned over to the School District four months ahead of schedule – a daily reminder of the power of teamwork.

Want to know more about EllisDon's construction services? Talk to us

Joel Farquhar
866-998-1387