Ecole J.H. Picard was the only Catholic school in Western Canada to provide complete French Immersion education from kindergarten to grade 12.
The school, originally built in 1954, had undergone additions throughout the years but required substantial modernization and improvements to extend the longevity of the building and enhance the experience for the students and staff. Construction began in the summer of 2015. In order to ensure that the school remained operational, our team focused on occupant comfort and ensuring the school was functional for the community.
The school had dated finishes and was heavily asbestos-laden and had other hazardous abatement materials in many areas, including the ceilings. Issues with fire rating codes needed to be solved as well as correcting renovation anomalies from previous renovations.
Renovations included an expansion of the parking lot; a new sound and recording studio; newly renovated drama instruction and rehearsal space; upgraded classrooms; technology modernizations; mechanical & electrical upgrades; and exterior envelope improvements such as windows and cladding.
This project was a complicated, phased construction process. Our collaboration with the client and the school’s principal was a distinguishing factor to our success. We also built a strong relationship with the school’s Parent Committee to notify and communicate contractor work task schedules. The safety of the families and staff during construction was a top priority in all decisions made.