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École Saint-Justin Annexe
By : École Saint-Justin Annexe
GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN – 16th edition
Discipline : Landscape & Territories
Categories : Landscape Architecture / Landscape Architecture - Cultural & Institutional Project : Bronze Certification
A unique project worth more than $3M
The Saint-Justin Elementary School Annex development project is based on a highly flexible concept combining originality and functionality. It responds to this desire to create playful spaces conducive to activities for school-age children, but also spaces for older children because the school is destined to become a secondary school in the short term. The landscape architect has made this a real challenge to propose a design that can be appropriated in the longer term. The project takes into account the entire circulation organization as the existing parking lot is relocated to make way for a small, more inviting side yard.
A design that emanates from a constraint
The project’s design is defined by inclusivity, sustainability, innovation, and a desire to create appropriable spaces. The challenge lies in the modulation of the site as a result of the extensive excavations associated with the decontamination. The landscape architect has made this constraint the essence of the concept, where the current courtyard is declined on three levels having removed the unsuitable soil.
The proposed development is marked by the presence of a large multifunctional field characterized by different surface treatments. It consists of a natural grass part for the practice of free games, and another in synthetic grass for dodgeball or basketball, as well as a running track in red synthetic carpet. Access is via a long universal ramp that integrates seamlessly with the proposed layout. On the north side, a sub-space accommodates less noisy activities including ping-pong tables, a tug-of-war game and floor markings, and lots of furniture. This area will serve the needs of teenagers for the foreseeable future. It replaces the existing parking lot and gives a more attractive image to this frontage adjoining the street.
Original and adaptable furniture
The street furniture chosen by the landscape architect has a playful and uncluttered character. You can sit on it on one side or use it as a table on the other side. Other types of furniture emphasize the sometimes organic forms of the proposed design and allow for two or more people to meet, giving the project a certain singularity.
An outdoor classroom and bioretention pond as a horizon
The landscape architect proposed an outdoor classroom that is meant to be inviting and unifying. It is oriented to the southwest of the school to ensure sunny exposure. The organically contoured design joins the elevated school level to the first plateau. An interlocking set of tiers and steps brings a unique identity to this new space, once a simple green square. The presence of the bioretention pond undeniably brings character to this space. It becomes a perfect horizon during outdoor classes or simply during student gatherings. It is the crowning achievement of all the thinking about stormwater management that went into the project.
Collaboration
