The Foothills School Division is committed to nurturing a culture of belonging while creating inclusive, diverse & safe learning environments for both teachers & students. The Meadow Ridge K-9 school is located at 21 Chinook Arch Way (West 32nd Street) in Okotoks, Alberta. Williams Engineering (WE) was retained by Group 2 Architecture to provide structural engineering services for the design of the new school all through to final construction and closeout.
The school features a two-storey atrium with an abundance of natural light. All parties worked collaboratively on the outset of the project to achieve this objective. WE’s structural team supported the innovative design by working closely with the architect to locate the building columns in such a way that the open learning environment could be realized.
The school has a “butterfly roof,” a sloped roof pitched to the middle, located over the library. This distinctive design feature required larger spans to enable the vertical elements to be spaced in such a way that would accomplish the open space within the library. Minimal columns were required to achieve this design feature, and our structural team worked collaboratively with the architect to ensure all objectives were met. The entrance to the school also boasts a large, inviting, bright open space, which also required considerations to the placement of columns and framing.
The Foothills School Division was forward-thinking and required additional support for potential solar panels and arrays to be placed on the flat roof portions of the school that could be added in the future.
Both budget and schedule were vital to completing this project. WE worked with the team to design an efficient structural package to work within the project budget. Meadow Ridge School is another example of our team’s passion for designing infrastructure that contributes to engineering sustainable cities and communities that are safe, inclusive and resilient.
