École Irma-LeVasseur

Discipline : Interior Design

Categories : Education, Institution & Healthcare / High School & College : Silver certification

Durable, inclusive, and deeply rooted in its environment, Irma-LeVasseur Secondary School embodies a renewed vision of education in Quebec and is fully part of the provincial initiative to modernize the school landscape.

The school occupies a strategic position between the residential fabric of Anjou and its vast industrial sector. It acts as an urban bridge, redefining the neighborhood boundaries and forging strong connections with the community.

The project's volumetry revolves around three complementary entities: a school block, a sports block — accessible to the public outside of school hours — and a central community core. The latter, a space for socialization and relaxation, connects the different areas of the school. It houses an interior courtyard where a young tree rises, both an object of contemplation, a symbol of biophilia, and a pedagogical tool. It invites calm, while expressing a certain vitality. Over the years, this tree will flourish as it witnesses several generations of students evolving with it. Evolving with the seasons, its foliage will take on shades ranging from red to orange-yellow in autumn. These nuances will be highlighted by the accent color of the orange mullions, which soar towards the sky on all four sides of the interior courtyard.

The educational spaces are designed to encourage flexibility, autonomy, and adaptability. Distinct wings group together school activities, while modular environments bathed in natural light allow configurations to be adjusted according to the needs of students and staff, fostering human interactions, stimulating creativity, and openness to others.

The project also aims to be a model of environmental engagement. Sixty geothermal wells feed an eco-responsible heating and cooling system. A high-performance envelope, triple glazing, green roofs, the use of durable materials, and low-waste construction management demonstrate a clear commitment to a sustainable approach. In this perspective, the project aims for a LEED Silver certification, highlighting its overall environmental performance.

The project celebrates Quebec identity through architectural and landscape gestures rooted in culture, territory, and contemporary realities. Local materials are highlighted, notably aluminum panels from Quebec for the facades, and indigenous wood species used in interior arrangements, such as spruce benches in the auditorium. The mullions of the curtain wall, the marquee, and the entry glazing subtly integrate the fleurdelisé blue, a nod to national symbols.

More than a place of learning, Irma-LeVasseur becomes a collective landmark: a living building, in tune with its time, where architecture supports learning, promotes inclusion, and celebrates the future.

The project in images