As part of the Province of Ontario’s $1.4 billion capital funding initiative for the implementation of the full-day kindergarten programmes, two kindergarten classrooms were added to the existing Toronto District School Board, Willow Park Junior Public School.
The required addition was modest in scale and forms a part of a larger exhausted and old public school. Under a small budget and tight deadline, the design required simplicity in form to allow for complexity in detail. Our design attempts to re-energize the entire school and the community along the street by introducing a modernized exterior façade with attention to the details at the corners of the building, the recessing of the windows, angling of walls and the use of contrasting materials and colours.
The outcome of which a three-dimensional skin is produced. The design extends to improve the outdoor play area, the interior design of the new classrooms as well as upgrades to the existing kindergarten classrooms and cubbies.
Architectural details emphasize large recessed windows that offer a vista into the classrooms, highlighting the activities within
- Catapult Schools
press + awards
Designing Schools for Student Success, Inspiring Calm and Emotional Well-Being
Catapult Schools, Issue 1, 2013
Building Blocks
Helena Grdadolink, Canadian Architect, March 2013