Chute Lake Elementary School
Kelowna (SD #23), British Columbia

Chute Lake Elementary School, located on a school/park site in the new Kettle Valley residential area of Kelowna, accommodates 350 students grades one to seven plus 80 kindergarten students. The two-phase feasibility study determined the new elementary school would be developed as a two-storey, wood frame structure advantageously situated to optimize sun control and access to views, vehicle/pedestrian movement and safety, the impact of the building upon the neighbourhood, earthworks, site utilization, and future expansion.

The design is organized with public community-use components at the west end of the building to facilitate access and security. The two-storey high main entrance lobby is linked to a circulation space that gives access to the gym, servery, stage/multi-purpose room, and general office. The glassed-in library has a curved “frontage” that is entered from this circulation hub, enhancing the sense that this area forms the “heart” of the school.

A distinctive feature of the school is the placement of several small multi-purpose seminar rooms around the building, each accessible to the adjacent classrooms and to the corridor. Educationally, these spaces will function to support small group instruction, itinerant teacher-student activities, and cooperative planning for team teaching.