École St. Thomas is a French Immersion school run by the Lloydminster Catholic School Division. The 6,000 m2 school houses Kindergarten to Grade 7 students as well as a childcare centre designed for 72 children ranging from infants to pre-school age.
The school is designed with a single spine. A two-storey school allows for the single corridor to not extend too long. Classrooms are designed to include a jog in the wall that provides a gathering area in each classroom. Students and teacher can gather in the corner of the room for stories or interactive learning sessions. Classrooms are also placed strategically so teacher resources can be shared between classrooms. The pass through millwork allows resources to be accessed without a class being disturbed.
Utilizing the benefits of a joint site with Rosary High School, the gym is a fully specified high school gym so large tournaments can use both gyms located on the site. The Learning Resource Centre is designed less as a traditional Library and more as a flexible learning space complete with multiple break-out rooms, a story pit, and a video conference centre.
École St. Thomas has many innovative and sustainable features. The building is orientated on an east-west axis to allow for maximum northern and southern glazing. Further energy is saved with the use of occupancy sensors and daylight harvesting technologies. Separate heating and ventilation system allow for air distribution to be ideally located throughout the facility, providing the best possible learning conditions for students and staff. The school has achieved LEED Silver certification.
Value:
$23.7 Million
Completion:
August 2013