Kids, balls, salt, noise
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Urban school expansion addresses every challenge
THE GREENWOOD COLLEGE SCHOOL in Toronto recently expanded with a 74,000-square-foot addition located in mid-town. The dense, four-story structure designed by Montgomery Sisam Architects adjoins the existing independent school at every level above grade, increasing the school’s square footage by 120 percent.
According to principal architect Terry Montgomery, “An urban site causes pros and cons. The pros are that it is completely integrated into the city and the neighbourhood — it is not isolated. The con is that it is hard to negotiate space.” The neighbours and city officials had to be on board at each step of the way of the project, including creating a diverted laneway to improve traffic flow patterns and isolate school traffic from that of the surrounding community.
One advantage Montgomery’s Toronto-based architectural firm had was that it had also designed the renovation to the original 1950s structure in 2001. “We actually built a climbing wall right up through the middle of the school,” says Montgomery, referring to the independent school’s roots as a summer camp for kids.
Besides increasing the raw square footage of Greenwood College, the other project mandate was to provide maximum flexibility within the expansion. “We’ve got a big new gym, science classroom, art classrooms and an outdoor terrace,” says Montgomery, “so it’s really complementing the kind of bare-bone components in the first building. There is a lot of emphasis on common space.
“We have the idea of independent learning for kids to meet and study — concentrating as much on what they do between classes as in class.”
Because of building-structure issues, flooring couldn’t be continuous between some areas such as the gymnasium in the older building and the expansion. “They have two main courts,” says Montgomery, “with curtains to divide the two spaces. The hardwoods are absolutely matched. Because the gym is on the third floor we had to do a lot of sound insulation underneath our wood. I haven’t heard any complaints about bouncing balls.”
The original carpet was extended throughout the whole building. “The carpet had stood up so long and had been cleaned a few times and seemed to work. We just took that exact same product and ran right through the second floor.”
On the ground floor an exposed concrete floor was having trouble with salt coming in from outside. “We actually put a porcelain finish on the ground floor, which I think works much better.”
Montgomery notes that scrambling for contractors during the summer months was actually one of the bigger challenges, but the building was ready for the September school session.
The administration — and the kids — love their new surroundings, he says. “The reward of finishing a building is seeing people use it as you expect.”