Almaguin will be the Greenest Near North School

Near North District School Board
News Release

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The Near North District School Board has been busy developing plans for the new Almaguin Highlands Secondary School that is supported with funding from the Ministry of Education. The new building, slated to open in 2011, has a multitude of ‘green’ features incorporated into the design.

The school will be oriented to minimize exposure to Northern winds and maximize interior daylight. As a result all classrooms at the new site will have natural light and ventilation. The gymnasium has been located to specifically allow for natural ventilation.

The heating system has an internal water source and an energy efficient heat pump. Using a cooling tower to reject heat from the system and boilers to inject heat into the system, heating or cooling will be available in any room at anytime of the year. Heat will be transferred from areas requiring cooling to areas requiring heating.

All indoor and outdoor lighting fixtures will be energy efficient, and will be controlled by occupancy sensors. All exterior lighting is designed to shield and control illumination to help maintain a dark sky and control light pollution.

From top to bottom the building has been designed with environmental efficiency in mind. The school will have a light reflective roof as well as a compact floor plate with a two story design to reduce the size of the roof diminishing the absorption of heat from the roof.

Other initiatives in the plan include alternate transportation incentives such as bicycle racks and storage included in the school design as well as access to the sites preexisting trail system and other natural features including sensitive ecosystems. The school will also have garbage and recycling collection within the building as part of the school programming,

Jean Larocque from LEA Architects affirmed how dynamic the plans are for a building of this nature. “What is really fascinating is the way we will recycle grey water reusing up to fifty percent of grey water and the ability to harvest rain to use for landscape irrigation.”

The building is being constructed using durable building materials, including certified wood products and regionally sourced materials when possible. The construction plan has provisions for minimal disturbance to the natural features of the site while striving to maintain and reuse all on-site organics. There is also a comprehensive storm water management plan and provisions for erosion and sediment control during and after development.

All of these initiatives are designed to optimize the energy performance of the building in addition to providing superior air quality for students and staff of the Near North District School Board.

Alan Bottomley, Chairperson of the Near North District School Board is pleased with the design. “We always hoped that this school would be as ‘green’ as we could possibly make it, and that is what we have accomplished”.

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