The schools in Quebec have never been in such bad condition, but the number of new buildings has also multiplied in recent years. The Lab School projects have gotten a lot of ink flowing, while in Laval, ‘flexible’ and ‘transformable’ schools can now adapt to the needs of students.
The Sommet primary school in Laval welcomed its very first pupils a few days ago. During the Journal’s visit in mid-August, Director Jasmin Clément and his team were busy unpacking the boxes in preparation for their arrival.
“We don’t have a recruitment problem here, all our positions are filled. In such an environment, one would like to come to work,” he says with a broad smile.
With its large windows and exterior walls decorated in wood and aluminum with “fleurdelisé blue” accents, the handsome new building bears the “architectural signature” defined by the Legault government for new buildings in the school network.
Photo MARTIN ALARIE
The gym can easily be divided into two sections.
“MODULABLE AND FLEXIBLE”
But that’s not all: the school, like the Aventuriers a few kilometers away, is a pioneer because it is “transformable, flexible and modular” (TFM).
This concept, developed by the Material Resource team at School Service Center Laval, is based on sliding panel dividers that allow you to add or remove walls as needed.
At the École du Sommet, a large multipurpose room can be converted into three smaller rooms. Classes can be easily linked to allow teachers to work as a team. A room can be partitioned to accommodate 8, 16 or 32 students.
Photo MARTIN ALARIE
Several removable partitions make it possible to combine spaces like these two classes.
CONVERTIBLE FROM PRIMARY TO SECONDARY
For its part, the Aventuriers school was even designed to eventually be transformed into a secondary school, thanks to its wide corridors and several removable partitions on which you can write, like on a blackboard.
“Students evolve, neighborhoods change, so we wanted to have projects that allow for different facilities so that schools can adapt to the needs of students,” explains the Director General of the Service Centre, Yves Michel Volcy.
TFM schools cost a little more to build, but the long-term savings will be “significant,” he assures.
Photo Martin Alari
The building’s exterior is clad in “fleurdelisé blue” wood and aluminum as envisaged in Quebec City’s new architectural signature for new schools.
“We no longer have to tear down walls and build new ones to convert premises, for example when we set up specialist classes. We intend to incorporate this concept into all of our new builds,” says Mr. Volcy.
Having the ability to eventually convert new primary schools to accommodate secondary school teenagers is also a major benefit for the Laval service center, where the number of students is ever increasing, while land is a real scarce commodity. .
“TFM” schools could also multiply in the coming years as the Department of Education now recommends building new “flexible, adaptable and scalable” schools in its new real estate planning guide.
Already cramped in a newly inaugurated building in Montreal
Photo Daphnee Dion-Viens
The main staircase at École Sainte-Lucie in Montreal opens onto a bright three-story atrium. It even includes a slide, which was not in use when we visited the journal in June.
More than seven years after leaving their school due to mold, the staff and students at École Sainte-Lucie in Montreal are back at a brand new, colorful school… where they already call home.
“Our patience was rewarded,” says kindergarten teacher Lamia with a smile.
In January, students and staff discovered their new school a thousand miles from the old Sainte-Lucie school, which closed in 2014 due to mold growth.
The ceilings are high, the corridors are very wide and the windows are large. “We breathe!” Says its likeable director Christian Milliard.
Students now have access to a rooftop terrace, a brand new courtyard, a large gym, and writing walls.
In the main staircase, a slide allows the students to descend even faster.
This new, much larger environment seems to be having a positive impact on the students.
MORE DISCIPLINED YOUNG PEOPLE
Several teachers have found that they have fewer behavioral problems since moving into their new premises.
It must be said that for seven years, students and staff were relocated to a part of the Louis-Joseph-Papineau-Gymnasium, nicknamed the “Bunker” because it only has windows for loopholes.
“The fact that the students have space, they breathe, they see the light of day, they feel comfortable in their surroundings… I’ve seen a big difference in terms of classroom management,” says teacher Madeleine Forget.
The Sainte-Lucie School was one of the first schools to be demolished and then rebuilt at the Montreal School Service Center well before the ministry created a special envelope for this type of work as of 2020.
However, the adventure dragged on, notably because of an extension request that was never approved by the Ministry of Education.
NOT BIG ENOUGH
Result: As soon as they moved in, the students and staff already felt a bit cramped in their new school.
Two child care rooms had to be converted into classrooms. There are no classes for the English teacher, who instead roams from room to room.
And more than twenty children are on the waiting list for a 4-year kindergarten class because there is not enough space for a new group.
“We have to deal with that,” says Mr. Milliard, who is nonetheless pleased with this new bright and colorful environment, which the students are also enjoying.
Studying in prefabricated chalets
Courtesy photo
In Laval, prefabricated chalets converted into classrooms replace traditional ‘caravans’ when space is limited.
Hundreds of Laval students spend their days in prefabricated chalets, fitted with large windows and a wooden ceiling.
Instead of renting out expensive modular units (commonly known as “trailers”) to accommodate students when space was scarce, the Center de services scolaire de Laval decided five years ago to work with Industries to convert prefabricated chalets into classrooms in Bonneville.
These ‘classhouses’, which can accommodate four groups of students, can be moved from one school to another as needed. The Center de services scolaire de Laval estimates that these premises will be used for another ten years.
From the supermarket to the elementary school
Photo MARTIN ALARIE
This former IGA supermarket in Laval is being converted into a primary school.
In Laval, too, the lack of land is forcing the school service center to be creative. The organization has acquired a piece of land occupied by a former IGA supermarket at the corner of Boulevard Curé-Labelle and 77th Avenue, which is being converted into an elementary school.
The conversion of existing buildings is a solution increasingly favored by the Center de services scolaire de Laval.
“It’s interesting in terms of sustainable development, it’s a different kind of innovation,” says Managing Director Yves Michel Volcy.
