Wellington Secondary School

Wellington Secondary is a school for 900 students, grades 8 to 12. Following our investigation in the SPDR it became a high priority partial replacement project for the Ministry of Education. The project proposed several constraints to work within including renovation and seismic upgrading of an existing space, budget, and that the school must remain in operation while under construction. These requirements and challenges needed to be addressed all within the scope of delivering a design that would be much more flexible, adaptable and durable to support a 21st century learning environment.

Block F is the circular central hub from which the other wings radiate. Because the structural seismic upgrade for this Block called for the complete removal of the precast concrete roof and as a result, a virtual gutting of the interior walls, KMBR recognized this as an opportunity to reimagine the layout and workings of this central block. Our design resulted in new functional spaces and amenities, shared learning spaces, and informal seating alcoves to enclosed break-out spaces, a central courtyard with seating and hard/soft landscaping, a multi-purpose presentation space that opens to the central courtyard, flexible learning labs, and a reconstructed library that is used as a collaborative “Learning Commons”.

Project Stats

• Client: School District No. 68, Nanaimo/Ladysmith
• Location: Nanaimo, BC
• Size: 10,235 sq.m.
• Project Type: Addition, Renovation and Seismic Upgrade
• Project Delivery: Construction Management