Sir James Douglas Elementary
Seismic/Replacement Schools
7550 Victoria Dr.
Vancouver, BC, V5P 3Z7Canada
49° 12' 56.682" N, 123° 3' 57.1752" W
Overview of the Sir James Douglas Elementary Renewal Project
The replacement school will have a nominal capacity of 60 full-day kindergarten spaces and 525 grade 1 - 7 student spaces. Additional areas will be provided for Neighbourhood of Learning and Early Childhood Education initiatives.
The replacement school will be built on a portion of the existing playfield and the existing school would remain occupied until the new facility is ready.
After the proposed replacement school building is occupied, the existing Douglas Elementary school building will become surplus to Board of Education needs and staff will develop and undertake a public process to seek proposals for repurposing the existing buildings into another use.
For further information call VSB Planning and Facilities at 604 713-5254.
Update 2
Open House - December 9, 2010
We would like to thank everyone who took the time to come to the Open House. VSB Planning & Facilities Staff and the project architect were in attendance to provide updated design plans for the replacement school and to receive your feedback to the updated design.
Open House Boards
- Welcome
- Douglas Elementary- Neighborhood Context
- Site Plan
- Landscape/Plantings
- Overall view
- Interior layouts - Ground Floor, Main, Second Floor
- Interior view
- Elevations
- School Design Principles
- From Classrooms to Learning Communities
- Seismic Mitigation Process and Project Timeline
Open House Feedback
Click here for a copy of the Open House comment form. All feedback forms and suggestions were reviewed and are summarized in the following link Open House Feedback Summary
Update 3
October 2010
Project Agreement finalized. Schematic design and Design Development is underway.
Update 4
Open House - June 28, 2010
We would like to thank everyone who took the time to come to the Open House. The purpose of the Open House was to:
- To introduce the Learning Communities Concept and related school design patterns;
- Provide the concept plan for the replacement school based on learning communities;
- Receive your feedback on the updated concepts
Open House Boards
- Neighbourhood Context
- Site Plan
- 21 Century Learning and School Design
- Design Patterns for the 21st Century
- Classrooms to Learning Commons Illustration
- Ground Floor Plan
- Main Floor Plan
- Student Commons Illustration
- Second Floor Plan
- Seismic Mitigation Process
Open House Feedback
All feedback forms and suggestions were reviewed and are summarized in the following link Open House Feedback Summary
Update 5
21st Century School Design for Douglas Elementary School
A presentation was held on Wednesday May 5th at 9:00 am at Douglas Elementary to discuss the 21st Century school design principles and small learning communities. Chinese translation services were availble for this presentation. This information was previously presented in english at Douglas Parent Advisory Committee's meetings.
For more information on click on the following links 21st Century School Design Principles and Small Learning Communities 小型学习社群
A series of school staff workshops and meetings were held recently to focus on the educational goals and directions for the replacement of Douglas Elementary School. The process began with a district-wide workshop on Feb. 4. 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. During March, April and May, VSB planning will continue its discussions with school staff and parents and will conduct a series of online and onsite workshops.
Update 6
Open House - December 10, 2009
An Open House was held at James Douglas elementary school on December 10, 2009 to obtain community feedback on the proposed siting and space program for the replacement school.
Open House Boards
- Welcome and Purpose of the Open House
- Seismic Mitigation Project Process
- 21st Century School Design Principles
- Proposed Siting, Functional Layout and Floor Plans
- Project Schedule and School Program Areas
Open House Feedback
We would like to thank everyone who took the time to come to the Open House and the thoughtful suggestions and positive comments. All feedback forms and suggestions were reviewed and are summarized in the following report: Open House Feedback Form Results.
As we move forward in design development, concerns raised in the Open House such as storage, classroom configuration, location of sinks, location of bike racks will be addressed. Educational requirements and City building bylaw requirements which may preclude the ability to incorporate suggestions as received. Concerns such as traffic will be addressed in a traffic study and outdoor space will be addressed in a landscape plan. These documents will form the part of the development permit submission to the City of Vancouver.
As part of the City of Vancouver’s development permit application process, the City will be hosting a separate Open House for local community input at a later date.
Sir James Douglas Elementary Renewal Project Newsletter (Dec. 2009)
