5.0 architectural rationale - vancouver · proposed density limit for the site is therefore a floor...

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ST. GEORGE’S SENIOR SCHOOL MASTER PLAN | REZONING APPLICATION

5.0 ARCHITECTURAL RATIONALE

5.1 BACKGROUND St. George’s School has identified a need to renew its facilities to strengthen its position as an internationally significant school:

• Many classrooms are substandard. They are undersized, have low ceilings, lack natural light, and/or have poor air quality.

• Because of their size and configuration, the current classrooms limit the ability of teachers to actively engage their students, to integrate educational technology, and to employ varied instructional strategies.

• The school lacks adequate spaces for student collaboration and hands- on, project-based learning.

• The needs of specific programs, including visual arts, athletics, and music, are not fully met by the current facilities.

• By isolating teachers, current facilities discourage professional growth and collaboration. Departmental offices are required, along with more effective classroom groupings.

• Future buildings must be durable enough to last for many decades and must have the flexibility and adaptability to accommodate changes in pedagogy.

• The current Senior School boarding house is located on the Junior School campus, as boarding formerly included grades 4-7 as well. Today, boarding only includes Senior School students (grades 8-12). In order to fully integrate the boarders and enhance the boarding program, the school needs to relocate Residential Life to the Senior School campus thereby providing enhanced accommodation, recreation, and amenity facilities.

• The entire campus must demonstrate leadership in regenerative and sustainable design, and must serve as a tool for teaching students about the impact of buildings on the natural environment.

5.2 VISIONSt. George’s Vision is to be recognized as Canada’s World School for Boys. It aspires to be a school of international significance; one that will graduate young men with a global outlook who are able to meet the challenges of a complex and rapidly changing world. Through its diversity, our student body will be more representative of the larger world beyond our campus.

5.3 GUIDING PRINCIPLESAt the beginning of the process to update the Campus Master Plan, St. George’s developed the following list of principles to guide decision-making:

1. Create world-class boy-centred academic, arts, and athletic facilities with the flexibility and adaptability to change.

2. Maximize connections to the outdoors, both physical and visual.

3. Establish a new heart of the campus.

4. Simplify and clarify circulation within and among buildings.

5. Demonstrate leadership in sustainability.

In addition to the guiding principles, St. George’s has also established the following supporting principles:

• Build a replacement space before having to demolish the corresponding existing space, to avoid temporary facilities costs.

• Ensure that each phase preserves the student experience in the event that the campus remains in that configuration for years or decades.

• Provide at least two sports fields at all times.

• Create the opportunity for inspiring architecture.

• Clarify the approach and entry sequence.

• Orient academic spaces for optimum daylight and views.

• Orient playing fields for optimum daylight and minimum shading.

• Define compact building footprints and efficient use of site.

• Retain only those components of the existing building which are meeting needs.

• Minimize impact on neighbours.

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5.4 DESIGN RATIONALE St. George’s School is planning for the future. This document outlines a framework for upgrading all of the Senior School campus facilities in support of the school’s Vision and this project’s Guiding Principles. The school does not intend to increase enrollment, so the goal is improvement rather than growth. Transformation of the campus will be a long process. Rather than attempting to predict exactly what future buildings will look like, it is important to establish guidelines for development over the coming years and decades. The first step, therefore, is to define an envelope within which future building can occur in a way that is appropriate to the context.

The original Rezoning Application outlined a variety of setbacks to deal with different adjacencies. In response to feedback from neighbours, this revised application applies the most stringent setback (12.2 m, or 40 ft) uniformly around the property. The one exception to this is at the segment of property line shared with the BC Hydro substation at the northeast corner of the site. Here, with the understanding that the substation is permanent, the setback has been eliminated to avoid the safety and security concerns associated with a narrow strip of unsupervised property. The steep hill down from the campus to the substation equipment creates enough separation, and as this is not a residential property, overlook and shading are not a concern.

In addition to the generous perimeter band of landscape created by the setbacks, the playing fields offer an opportunity to create a buffer between school buildings and nearby homes. The very few residences that share a property line with St. George’s are located to the northwest, so the school proposes to expand the existing playing field in this location to two fields.

Building height is another important consideration for ensuring that the future development is appropriate to the context. The original Rezoning Application suggested a height limit of 18.9 m (62 ft). This revised application retains that height limit for all buildings, with a proposed stepping down to 12.2 m (40 ft) at the perimeter. This is in keeping with the City of Vancouver’s Vertical Angle of Daylight calculation and ensures a gradual transition in scale from the school to the surrounding single family homes. The existing stand of mature coniferous trees along the entire south edge of the property is approximately 27-30 m (90-100 ft) tall. With such a tall element on the site already, the visual impact of the heights of buildings will be greatly reduced. Furthermore, this element will remain a key feature of the site so an absolute height limit for any built element (for example, a flag pole) is proposed at 25.0 m (82 ft).

Within the envelope created by the setbacks and height limits, St. George’s wishes to maintain as much open space as possible on the campus. The proposed density limit for the site is therefore a Floor Space Ratio of 0.70.


The school’s highest priority right now is to provide good quality academic spaces and a new, vibrant heart. Athletics, performing arts, and student and staff accommodations are likely to follow, as fundraising allows. The proposed form of the heart of the campus is a courtyard that recalls the original 1965 building on the site. The new courtyard, however, will be open on one side to the community. The new academic buildings will be interconnected with covered outdoor walkways. As buildings are added to the campus in the future, they should tie into this framework and continue it. All new buildings should be designed in substantial conformance with the existing material palette; heavy timber, generous glazing, stone and wood cladding.

Precedent images

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5.5 DEVELOPMENT ENVELOPE

SITE AREA: 57,056.3 m2 (614,149 SF)

FLOOR SPACE RATIO: 0.7

TOTAL ALLOWABLE FLOOR AREA: 39,939.4 m2 (429,904 SF)

PROPOSED HEIGHTS:

At site perimeter: 12.20 m (40’)

At site interior: 25.0 m (82’)

SETBACKS:

Front Yard: 12.20 m (40’)

Side Yard (West): 12.20 m (40’)

Side Yard (East): 12.20 m (40’)

Rear Yard: 0 m

PARKING & LOADING:

Parking Spaces: 111 underground

Loading Spaces: 2

25m

12.2m

12.2m

12.2m

12.2m

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5.5 DEVELOPMENT ENVELOPE

SITE + PROPERTY LINE 40’ SETBACK VERTICAL ANGLE OF DAYLIGHT (COV)*

ADJUSTED VERTICAL ANGLE OF DAYLIGHT BASED ON CONTEXT

BC HYDROSUBSTATION

PREVIOUS DESIGN MASSING NEW CONCEPTUAL MASSING

*Buildings over 10.7 m (35’) in height must not project above theoretical lines extending over the site from all points on a theoretical line extending vertically to a height of 12.2 m (40’) above the required yard and then inclining towards the site at an angle of 45 degrees to the horizontal.


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5.6 DENSITY The proposed density for the property is a Floor Space Ratio of 0.70. This is sufficient built space for St. George’s to provide the world-class educational, athletics, and arts facilities called for by the project’s Guiding Principles. At the same time, it maintains enough outdoor space to uphold the principle of maximizing connections to the outdoors, while remaining within the proposed height limit. Given that future buildings have not yet been programmed or designed, this density allows for long-term flexibility and adaptability consistent with a campus master plan. An FSR of 0.70 is also appropriate to the context of the surrounding neighbourhood. The diagram provided illustrates one possible configuration of a campus with this density within the development envelope proposed.

Each stage of future development will be approved by the City and the community through a Development Permit process, during which proposed buildings will be reviewed for compliance with these guidelines.

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ATHLETICSup to 6.1m (20’)

ACADEMICSup to 12.2m (40’)

STAFFACCOMMODATIONS

up to 10.4m (34’)

PERFORMINGARTS

up to 9.1m (30’)

BUS DROP-OFF

SPORTS FIELDS

SPORTS FIELDS

BU

S P

ICK

-UP

LOADINGAND CAR ACCESS

Cam

osun

Str

eet

28th Avenue

27th Avenue

29th Avenue

5.7 EXISTING CAMPUS PLAN

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SPORTS FIELDS

STUDENT AND STAFF ACCOMMODATIONSup to 15.0m (50’)


PERFORMINGARTS

up to 12.2.0m (40’)

LOADINGACCESS

BUS DROP-OFF

BU

S P

ICK

-UP

PARKING ACCESS

Cam

osun

Str

eet

28th Avenue

27th Avenue

29th Avenue

5.8 ORIGINAL REZONING APPLICATION PLAN

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SPORTS FIELDS


PERFORMING ARTSup to 12.2m (40’)


LOADINGAND BUS ACCESS

SSECCA GNIKRAP

STUDENTACCOMMODATIONS

up to 18.0m (60’)

STAFFACCOMMODATIONS

up to .0m ( 0’)

Move fields to northwest corner to address neighbours’ concerns about adjacent uses.

Increase side yard setbacks to match rear (40’), to further address neighbours’ concerns.

Consolidate boarding facilities towards centre of site to minimize impact on neighbours and preserve open space.

Reduce setback at substation to eliminate safety concerns arising from a narrow strip of concealed space.

Locate a temporary use space (such as athletics) adjacent to substation to mitigate health concerns.

Retain meaningful open spaces connecting the playing fields to the community.

Shift performing arts space to a location where it can play a role in community.

Relocate one academic building to create a suitably scaled courtyard.

Maintain same size underground parking.

Set academics building back farther from the corner to address neighbours’ concerns.

Set academics building back farther from trees to improve daylighting.

Relocate vehicle entry away from corner to further reduce traffic congestion and maintain same size underground parking.

Accommodate bus drop-off, pick-up,and parking on campus.

Cam

osun

Str

eet

28th Avenue

27th Avenue

29th Avenue

BUS

DROP-OFF/PICKUP

5.9 REVISED REZONING APPLICATION PLAN

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5.10 VIEWSView looking northwest from 29th Avenue and Camosun Street

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5.10 VIEWSView looking southeast from northwest of campus

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5.11 SHADOW STUDIESThe diagram provided illustrates one possible configuration of a campus with a density of 0.70 FSR within the development envelope proposed. Also depicted are the shadows of the existing trees to the south and west of the site.

MAR/SEPT 21 - 10:00

DEC 21 - 10:00

MAR/SEPT 21 - 12:00

DEC 21 - 12:00

MAR/SEPT 21 - 14:00

DEC 21 - 14:00

MAR/SEPT 21 - 16:00

DEC 21 - 16:00

5.0 architectural rationale - vancouver · proposed density limit for the site is therefore a floor...

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