Anyone with a child wishes for an educational institution that will not only provide knowledge, but will also prompt inspiration. Which is exactly what Sainte-Anne Academy – the School of Tomorrow – aims to instill. This 120,000 square-foot 1896 original gave Taktik Design the opportunity to take a historical space, revamp it with modern appeal, and infuse it with the kind of subdued energy children need on a day-to-day basis.
Having free reign in which to play with this massive space, Taktik Design set to work to create an efficient environment that would help to sculpt the leaders of tomorrow, while bringing about a sense of awe and wonder every child should be surrounded by.
Once complete, the space took on a wide-open, as-nature-intended kind of feel to it. With wood stump stools circling around tables anchored with trees, a hue of calming yellows and blues throughout the school, and “make-believe” trees and fire pits to set creative minds aflame with the sense of being outdoors, one feels immediately alive in this school.
However, with a monochromatic theme throughout, the stimuli is brought about by specific inspirational items within specific rooms, so as to not be over-stimulating or to distract from every day teaching, without making the space sterile in any way.
Plywood was used as the main structural material, giving it a carefree Canadian forest feel, while keeping the costs down to focus expenditures more on items such as hand-crafted coat hooks, custom seating, and structures that enhance the learning experience for both student and teacher.
When the school bell rings to signal children to come in to start their day; for the kids at Sainte-Anne Academy – it is a welcome sound!
Architects: Taktik design
Photography: Maxime Brouillet
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