WHEATLAND COUNTY, AB
Chief Crowfoot School
The new Chief Crowfoot School, located approximately 85 kilometres southeast of Calgary, provides a new and improved learning environment for students of Siksika Nation.
The Siksika Nation is Canada’s second-largest reserve in land mass, with a population of approximately 3,500 people.
The new 35,725 ft² school accommodates approximately 300 students from Kindergarten through Grade 6.
The facility is designed to meet current program and cultural needs while ensuring enough flexibility to accommodate future plans for expansion.
The school includes classrooms, multipurpose spaces, ancillary space, a computer lab, gymnasium, library, cafeteria, and support space.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
CLIENT
-
ARCHITECT
Gibbs Gage Architects
OUR ROLE(S)
Structural Engineering Consultant
SIZE
3,319 m² (35,725 ft²)
BUDGET
$21.3 M
MARKET (OFFICE)
CALGARY
KEY CONSIDERATIONS
Challenge One
The soils on the site were found to be moisture sensitive expansive clays.
Solution One
A building constructed on expansive clays without special consideration will heave up and down, resulting in damage to the structure and finishes.
For the school, Entuitive developed a structural design that incorporated deep foundations. The main floor slab on grade was designed as a suspended slab, allowing the ground to move below the building without adversely affecting the structure. In effect, the building floats above the ground.
GALLERY
