Projects: Education
Chinook High School (Lethbridge School District No. 51)
Lethbridge, Alberta, LEED® Silver Certified
The West Lethbridge Centre is one long $107 million education complex comprised of three parts: Chinook High School in one wing, which was designed by SAHURI in joint venture with J.A. Matthew Architect Ltd.; a Christian school on the other; and a public library joining the structure in the centre, for which SAHURI was prime consultant.
In sharing one mechanical plant, the building is the epitome of a symbiotic relationship, and boasts one of the largest construction footprints in southern Alberta. The Centre opened in 2010 and has become a singular community landmark. Unique technologies were applied to it including LEED
® Silver criteria, which resulted in substantial savings through lower construction and operating costs, and lowered consumption of non-renewable resources.
Chinook High School covers 130,792 sf. of the 200,000 sf. structure, with a design initially created for 900 students, and aimed at growing to 1,100 later in Phase II. As a result, the core components of the school were sized for 1,100 students, with the Alberta Infrastructures provisions for a 900-student population. Through careful layout manipulation and thorough communication with all stakeholders, SAHURI successfully maximized the limited space available using efficient design strategies.
To enhance the feeling of expansiveness in a challenging limited area, we placed the gym immediately adjacent to the front doors, with full height glazing connecting the corridor to the gym. This strategy also fulfilled one of the schoolboard's mandates for the gym to be effectively locked off from the rest of the school for after-hours events.
Other Education Projects:
