Humbercrest Public School

Additional Info

Award Winner : NRB Modular Solutions

Architectural Excellence : The School Board’s new full-day kindergarten program needed two rooms added to their land locked, urban school. The small school yard footprint could not accommodate a new addition, so the decision was made to use modular construction, raise it up on structural posts and connect to the school through a link corridor structure, leaving the open play space below available. The two-tone exterior stucco system blended with the schools brick and was preinstalled at the plant. The building has large high-performance windows that wrap around the corners of the building, but are low enough for the kids to see out. Inside, the bright classrooms are full of millwork, sinks, cubbies and play spaces, with kid-sized bathrooms and toilets. The connecting corridor has a staff bathroom and storage room. The six support posts were used to build benches for the kids, and the underside was finished in painted exterior grade sheathing with pot lights installed for security purposes.

Cost Energy Effectiveness : Cost effectiveness is not just about first time costs, but includes life cycle costs and that requires a whole building approach that integrates the building envelope, fenestration and mechanical/electrical systems to achieve a reduction in energy consumption, as well as quality of workmanship and materials to reduce maintenance costs and prevent premature failures. The HVAC system is a hydronic unit ventilator with energy recovery, lighting uses T-5 fixtures controlled by occupancy sensors; the building envelope has R26 walls, R30 roof and R30 floor with superior air and vapor barriers. Windows are thermally broken aluminum frames with warm edged spacers, with Low-E tinted insulated glass and argon filled spaces. Finishes inside include low maintenance flooring, abuse and moisture resistant painted drywall surfaces and acoustical ceiling tiles. The 2 ply modified bituminous roof system carries a 10 year platinum warranty covering both labor and materials.

Occupied Date : 9/3/2013

Production Start Date : 5/10/2013

Project Location City : York

Project Location State Name : ON

Technical Innovation : Several design challenges arose due to the site conditions that had to be met. The building had to be elevated 9’0” from grade to the underside; there could be no more than six support posts under the entire six module building area that was 88' long x 36’ wide; and the finished floor had to meet the existing building at a very specific stairway dimension – all of which meant only a 23” depth remained for the entire structural floor assembly and the beams below over the very large spans. NRB designed and built a structural mezzanine spanning the six posts, and then the modular building floor assembly “nested” within that structure to meet all the dimensional limitations.

Total Square Feet : 3168