Manitoba Schools Initiative

The Manitoba Schools Initiative was a project for 4 new schools in remote northern Manitoba by Stantec Architecture. My role as Production Architect/Job Captain was to ensure the team all knew their roles and coordinated their tasks to meet the strict deadline to get the project ready for winter road season.

The theory was to achieve an economy of scale, they would all have the same design for their main building core: main hall, gym, library and cafeteria. The number of classrooms would then be adjusted based on each community’s population.

Each school was designed to reflect the natural conditions found in the community. Here, Bunibonibee’s school is using a brick pattern reminiscent of rammed earth. The design inspiration for the roofs came from the patterns of ice breaking and piling on each other. The low sloped roofs tied together the variety of programs within each community.

The line rendering shows the relationships of the slopes with the upper and lower walls and the generous glass in the common areas. Building sections show the double height volumes and relationship of roof slopes.

Engaging the community in the process of design was an important step. A project this large made it difficult to ensure everyone’s voice was heard. It was in this moment I knew I would focus my practice on providing a voice to communities as an advocate architect.

Credit: Stantec Architecture.