UBC Acadia Road Primary and Intermediate School (New School)

Update 1

November 2011

The all weather play field has been completed. The school construction project will be going to tender in December 2011. The target occupancy date is September 2013.

Update 2

Design Development - Aug 2011

The Development Permit has been issued by the University Endowment Lands (UEL).  Construction documents will be completed shortly, with construction of Phase I of the new school scheduled to begin late fall 2011 on the field east of the existing school.  Construction of a new all-weather playfield on the eastern end of the field has been advanced to the summer of 2011 so that the secondary school students will have access to a good field during their last year at this location (Sept. 2011 - June 2012), even though construction will be underway.

The existing secondary school building will remain intact until the move to the new W. 16^th Avenue location in the summer of 2012.  It will then be demolished, with the exception of the gym, to allow Phase 2 of the new school to be built.

Update 3

Design Development - Autumn 2010/Winter 2011

Design development work is underway. The application for the Development Permit was submitted on 4 October 2010 to the University Endowment Lands (UEL). It will go to a public review process prior to the Advisory Design Panel meeting in early 2011.  The target date for completion of construction documents is summer 2011.

Update 4

21^st Century School Design Workshops - Spring 2010

A series of school staff workshops and meetings were held to focus on the educational goals and directions for the replacement of Acadia Road Elementary School. The process began with a district-wide workshop.  The workshop, Learning in the Creative Age, was introduced by Superintendent Steve Cardwell, and conducted by Prakash Nair and Randall Fielding of Fielding Nair International (FNI). Collectively, they challenged participants to imagine new ways to connect the best practices and ideas in education with current school design concepts.

This introductory workshop was followed by school meetings with teachers, staff and some parent representatives to consider how the FNI presentation on learning communities fit with the notion of teaching and learning in the 21st Century. At Kitchener and Douglas Schools staff expressed both their passionate concerns for students and their willingness to explore a new school design based on communities of learners rather than on a traditional layout of typical classrooms.

In support of this interest and willingness to explore design patterns used in the learning communities concept, Fielding and Nair have partnered with the local project architects to collaborate on the school design.

Update 5

Open House - February 10, 2010

An Open House was held on Wednesday, February 10, 2010 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The Open House was held in the Library at University Hill Secondary School (2896 Acadia Road, Vancouver)

The purpose of the Open House was to present the redevelopment  concepts for the University Hill Secondary School site on Acadia Road into a new school to accommodate students from Kindergarten to Grade 8. 

Open House Boards

• Project Schedule
• Key Plan - Site and Surrounding Area 
• Site Analysis
• Overall Concept Plan
• Site Concept - Phase 1
• Site Concept - Phase 2
• Illustration of the Proposed School Concept
• Building Section - Day Light and Ventilation
• Proposed Learning Communities Summary
• K-5 Learning Community  
• 6-8 Learning Community  
• Student Common Areas

Open House Feedback

We would like to thank everyone who took the time to complete the feedback forms and gave thoughtful suggestions and comments. All feedback forms and suggestions were reviewed and are summarized in the following report: Open House Feedback Results. The comments received will be incorporated into the design development phase.

Update 6

Open House - September 16, 2009

At an Open House on Sept. 16 the public was invited to explore the preliminary educational concepts and site issues related to the redevelopment of the University Hill Secondary School site (2896 Acadia Road) into a new school to accommodate students from Kindergarten to Grade 8.  The existing school will be redeveloped, once the secondary school relocates to an alternative UBC site. The design concept envisions two school communities within the school facility, Kindergarten through Grade 5 will be housed in one wing, while a second wing will house Grades 6-8, with shared core facilities. The school is designed to also accommodate future growth in the south campus area.

• Educational Prospectus 

Update 7

Proposed educational framework for UBC family of schools - December 2008

The UBC/UEL area has experienced rapid development during the past decade, and there are plans for even more residential housing.

The situation has created a rare and unique opportunity for the school district to establish an educational program and set of facilities that will combine the best professional practices, physical facilities and educational resources to serve and fulfill the needs of the learning community. The proposal envisions an interconnected set of facilities to accommodate a continuum of learning from early childhood to adulthood.

Key elements of the educational framework are:

• A continuum of learning from early childhood to post secondary
• Emphasis on engagement and experiential learning
• Student to student learning, collaboration and mentorship
• A science and technology focus
• Sustainability and global citizenship
• Multi-level active partnerships with UBC