In the northeast corner of Vancouver, the Hastings-Sunrise neighbourhood unfolds with a charming mix of shops, restaurants and single-family homes, many designed in the 1920s Craftsman style. As one of the city’s oldest communities, much of its architecture dates to the post-WWI era, when the area experienced a population boom. One such example is Sir Matthew Begbie Elementary School, built in 1922. Now over a century old, the aging building was well past its prime, not universally accessible and at high seismic risk — so the province set out to replace it with a state-of-the-art facility.

Enter local firm hcma. After engaging with school staff, a Parent Advisory Committee and other community members, the studio set out to design a building that would support modern curricular requirements and the needs of its students. Based on their feedback, the architects opted to break the massing of the 3385-square-metre facility into four wings, connected by a central atrium that serves as the school’s social core. This attention to scale creates a sense of intimacy in an otherwise large building (the school accommodates 340 students), while also helping to better integrate it with its context.

The project was also part of a Vancouver School Board pilot project to assess the possibilities of mass timber construction for future school designs, so the architects opted to construct the building using prefab CLT panels (making it the first school of its kind in the city). They didn’t stop there: Other sustainable design strategies include recessed windows which mitigate heat gain and rooftop PV panels, which will generate approximately 38 per cent of the building’s operating energy.

Inside, the exposed CLT structure unifies the spaces, imbuing them with a sense of warmth. On the lower level, each wing takes on a different programmatic function: admin spaces and the library in the building’s northwest wing, multi-purpose spaces in the northeast, kindergarten classrooms in the southeast, and a double-height gymnasium in the southwest.

On the upper level, meanwhile, the rest of the classrooms are clustered together in groups of three or four around a central breakout space, which allows for collaborative teaching and learning. By breaking the larger spaces down into more intimate learning communities, the architects have created spaces that feel less intimidating and more approachable to children. Glazed folding partitions between the classrooms and the breakout space also work to foster a sense of openness and community throughout the school.

“It’s a departure from the dark, insular schools of the past. Here, we have natural light and open spaces, textural and tactile surfaces, and places for learning, collaboration, play, and quiet retreat,” explains Karen Marler, Principal of hcma architecture + design. “Our goal was to design a place of learning that children deserve, where they feel comfortable, inspired to collaborate and safe to explore, where they can play loudly in the gym, or find a quiet alcove to recharge.”

Outside the programmed spaces, hcma worked to make the circulation and wayfinding as institutive as possible for students, emphasizing clear sightlines to the north and south entrances. The expansive hallways converge at the central atrium, where a connecting bridge looks down into the social space. A feature stair connects the two storeys, with playful, honeycomb-shaped alcove seating carved out at ground levels. This sense of play carries through to the outdoor spaces, where a slide leads down to a playground at the lowest tier of the 1.4-hectare sloped site.

On the other side of the new school, Sir Matthew Begbie Elementary will remain operational while other replacement schools are under construction but will be demolished to make way for a sports field once those projects are complete.

In keeping with the city’s effort to decolonize public spaces, the school not only has a new building but also a new name, gifted by the Musqueam Indian Band. Now called wək̓ʷan̓əs tə syaqʷəm Elementary School, the new name translates to “the sun rising over the horizon”, taking inspiration from the Hastings-Sunrise neighbourhood in which it is located. Symbolic of new beginnings, it’s an apt name for an institution working to teach and uplift the next generation.