studioHuB architects has been engaged by Conseil Scolaire Francophone de la Colombie-Britannique (CSF) to design a new Gymnasium and Ancillary space addition for the existing École des Deux-rives School.

The original building was built in 1961 and subsequently added on to in the 80’s. It is a 10 classroom school with a small activity room, which was used as a gymnasium, with an adjacent elevated stage. In order to meet the current elementary school standards the school district requires a new Gymnasium with Ancillary spaces (change rooms, WC’s, storage). The addition has been designed

as a stand-alone mass timber building with a 2hr fire wall so as to not trigger major sprinkler upgrades to the existing school or require Alternate Solutions. The existing gym and stage are being converted into multi-purpose space with an operable wall to allow the school to continue holding their live performances while doubling as classroom space during school hours. The new addition will be built while school is in session, with all of the interconnected services being constructed during the summer break.

The mass timber roof/walls and heavy timber glulam beams were costed during the PDR and early stages of schematic design to ensure we stayed within the Ministry of Education budget. We also entered into a Letter of Understanding with the mass timber supplier to prevent unwanted escalation and ensure our schedule could be met.

The addition was completed in summer 2024, and will be ready for occupancy for the start of the new school year!