Meadow Ridge School

This two-storey K-9 school has a current capacity of 700 and a future capacity of 900, with provisions for the installation of modular classrooms. The owner was Alberta Infrastructure with the Foothills School Division and the Town of Okotoks as additional stakeholders.

Objectives included flexible and open spaces for team teaching and collaboration, and both indoor and outdoor classroom space. Upon entering the school, patrons are greeted with a two-storey atrium with learning commons, feature stair, audio/visual screen, and views into the adjacent gym and library. To enhance aesthetics and access to daylight, the open-concept building includes a butterfly roof (with joists installed on a 30-degree angle), associated skylights, and large windows throughout.

Select classrooms include semi-transparent garage-style doors to further allow light to filter throughout. These doors can be rolled up in the ceiling, allowing access to the central common spaces for collaboration and team teaching.

Sustainability and access to natural light were key elements of the LEED Silver facility, incorporating 400 solar panels on the roof with the school’s solar technology program, which gives teachers and students access to the data for learning aligned with environmental sustainability.