ft3 assisted the Winnipeg School Division with expanding Lord Nelson School (K-6) in Shaughnessy Park to incorporate additional classrooms alongside a new gymnasium and complementary outdoor space. 

A visioning and goals workshop with the school’s building committee defined five guiding elements in successfully realizing the expansion: Rich Learning Environment, Position Impact on Lord Nelson School and the Surrounding Community, Contextual Architecture, Energy Efficiency, and High Level of Sustainability. 

The group characterized the new gymnasium as the heart of the school, with the design concept focused on creating an inclusive, accessible, and inviting sense of arrival for students, staff, and parents. 

A sophisticated wood ceiling treatment and colourful graphicized flooring evoke warmth and playfulness, guiding students safely between the school, gym, exterior play spaces, and street access. Meanwhile, the added classrooms provide fresh learning opportunities for students and multipurpose space for the community.

Site enhancements across the refreshed schoolyard facilitate a continuum of learning, with the school designating a portion of the grounds as vegetated area symbolizing the life of the building. A new cedar platform creating an outdoor classroom and raised vegetable planter boxes emphasize a deeper understanding of the natural environment. 

The design concept also avoided increasing the school’s parking area. Instead, it reserves an existing stall for carpooling and incorporating additional bike racks, including bike lockers and showers, to encourage alternative modes of transportation.

By prioritizing passive systems in design development and using LEED® Silver standards as  a benchmark, the Lord Nelson School Expansion received that level of LEED® certification and Manitoba Hydro’s Power Smart designation (now Efficiency Manitoba). The facility surpasses C-2000 Federal Sustainable Development Standards and is 45% more energy efficient than the Model National Energy Code for Buildings.