Project Profile: Colourful prepainted steel adds visual interest to new school in Newfoundland and Labrador

Project: Carbonear Academy

Location: Cabonear, Newfoundland

The Carbonear Academy, which has the capacity for 470 students from Kindergarten to Grade 8, opened for classes in September 2013. Although just completed, a higher than expected number of students forced the Province to spend an additional $2 million on the construction of four additional classrooms which were completed early this year. The school replaces the 60-year-old Davis Elementary School.

Using steel allowed the architect to add visual interest to the school with horizontal cladding in bright primary colours. “We used steel because we were driven by the owner’s requirements. The main concerns were durability, weather-ability and low maintenance,” says architect Greg Snow of Gibbons Snow Architects Inc. “With steel there are a wide variety of profiles and colours you can use. We used bright colours and different textures to add interest.”

The school’s location posed a bit of a challenge for the crew, Snow says, “It is built into the side of a hill. If we had gone back any farther, the excavation would have become very expensive,” he explains. “It’s a very narrow, long site. We used blocks of colour, which breaks up the elevation and gives it a visual interest. For some sections around the windows, we used regular corrugated profiles to break up the elevation.”

The building is 137m (450 ft.) long and has 5,110m2 (55,000 sq. ft.) of useable space inside. Constructed of structural steel, with pre-painted galvanized steel cladding and masonry walls, it was built to last. “It is a very visible landmark and it has a sense of permanence in the community,” says Snow. The school has been built to the highest possible efficiency and environmental standards and the architect was able to take advantage of some of the school’s green elements in a way that will engage students and teach them about energy consumption. Visitors touring the complex were very impressed by the colourful exterior, neatly designed access lanes and parking, the spacious classrooms and sizeable gymnasium.

“We incorporated interactive computer software tied into the building’s systems so students can see the mechanical and electrical systems of the school in real time. They can see the energy usage and compare it to other schools.” Snow says. “Some of the teachers are quite interested in using it as a teaching tool for energy consumption.” The building’s energy conscious features include higher efficiency lights with daylight sensors and geo-exchange heating and cooling.

A long yellow composite panel was used for the canopy in front of the building to add further visual interest and some weather protection. Inside the school, the yellow colour was again used for the corrugated metal stairs. “The lobby and entrance area are a real focal point for the building,” says Snow. “We used some custom colours.”

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION TEAM 

ARCHITECT: Gibbons + Snow Architects Inc. 

GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Marco Group 

STEEL SIDING CONTRACTOR: Hampton Building Systems Inc. 

STEEL SIDING SUPPLER: Agway Metals Inc. 

LIGHT STEEL FRAMING/ DRYWALL CONTRACTOR: CAD Construction 

LIGHT STEEL FRAMING SUPPLIER: Imperial Manufacturing Group 

PHOTOGRAPHY: Stephen Sheppard

Click to download Case Study #85-14: Colourful prepainted steel adds visual interest to new school in Newfoundland and Labrador