studioHuB architects is currently working on the design of a new 655-student elementary school in the South Newton neighbourhood of Surrey, which will be named Snokomish Elementary School. 

To help guide the team through the design process, three guiding principles were determined early in the design stage: Equity, Resiliency, and First Peoples’ Principles. 

Throughout the design, there is continuous stakeholder engagement with a steering committee, comprised of Surrey Schools senior administrators as well as the co-chair of the Surrey Urban Indigenous Leadership Committee, who introduced the team to the Indigenous Pedagogy Framework as part of the guiding principles. 

Some key considerations that have helped shape the design of both the school as well as the site are:

• A school that feels less institutionalized in form and character, and is welcoming to all

• A universally accessible school and site

• Strong indoor-outdoor connections, both physically and visually, as well as multiple outdoor learning spaces

• A wide variety of spaces to accommodate different types of learning and social interactions, and allow for both group work as well as introspective work

The compact, 3 storey school is centered around an outdoor learning commons. For resilience to changing climates, this outdoor learning commons brings daylight deep into the facility and allows for opportunities for cross-ventilation throughout. On each floor, a circular walkway gives equitable access to various breakout spaces, maker spaces, and quiet rooms, for all learners. Facilities include both gendered and all-gender washrooms, and a large dedicated special education room with direct access to the outdoors.

The exterior of the school will take cues from local indigenous arts, use high-albedo materials to offset heat gain, and its window-to-wall ratio is designed to balance the need for daylight with energy efficiency.

The school includes a Neighbourhood Learning Centre that houses both an all-day childcare as well as before and after school care.

Snokomish Elementary School is currently in design stage and is expected to start construction in 2023, with an opening in 2025.