École secondaire l'Impact

Discipline : Interior Design

Categories : Education, Institution & Healthcare / High School & College : Grand Winner

Categories : Special Awards / Interior Design + Art Integration : Gold certification

The project involves the expansion of the Armand-Corbeil high school by adding a volume of 6,710 m² over 3 stories to accommodate all students from the Centre de services scolaire des Affluents enrolled in Semi-Specialized Trade Training and Work Preparation. The school, l’Impact, now brings them all together under one roof, whereas they were previously dispersed across several establishments in the area.

The new building includes the necessary facilities for employment-focused training programs, such as workshops for cooking, sewing, carpentry, general building maintenance, and hygiene. It also features 24 classrooms, a double gymnasium, an agora, an existing swimming pool converted into a sports hall, and an educational, vegetated outdoor space enhancing the existing sports fields. The expansion is connected to the existing building at the gymnasium level and by a new passageway along the sports hall.

Contributing to the creation of a remarkably welcoming space, the various areas are arranged around a bright central core. Upon entering, students find themselves at the heart of the school, in a large public space with bleachers that is open and serves as a cafeteria, study area, social space, and venue for cultural and educational activities. This space continues into the outdoor garden, a lively, green space that encourages interaction and exchange.

In line with the trend of the new generation of schools and following the principles set out by the Ministry of Education of Quebec, the project supports educational success and offers users a welcoming school, along with a flexible and sustainable environment. Measures contributing to making the new establishment a warm and environmentally respectful living environment include: the use of wood in classrooms, corridors, and collective spaces; a clear-view window system to increase daylight levels in classrooms while improving the energy performance of the building's envelope; the revitalization of an overgrown plot transformed into a natural educational garden, grassy and landscaped where students and the surrounding community can socialize. Also noteworthy are sustainable development measures implemented to contribute concretely to the urgent and necessary fight against climate change, such as the addition of a geothermal well serving both schools, the development of a park integrating a rainwater management system, and the choice of high-performance glass for windows.

The result is a project that offers a pleasant living environment composed of a variety of adaptable and evolving spaces supporting collaborative learning methods, as well as the specialized professional integration mission of the school, l’Impact.

The project in images