District Education Centre

When a new District Education Centre was proposed to consolidate the administrative offices and programs of the Surrey School District, its existing 45-year-old facility was already bursting at the seams.

A new building would need ample space for the district’s 400+ full-time staff, as well as programming for meetings, workshops and other events.

The structural concept for the new District Education Centre split the overall building program in two. Shallow, cast-in-place floor plates were rotated to create a spacious central atrium, accented by generous daylighting and warm glulam columns that support the atrium’s four floors. Fast + Epp employed concrete shear walls in the main stair and elevator cores, along with a partial steel roof structure and curtain-wall glazing system.

The result is a bright and transparent space, conducive to its administrative functions and welcoming for visitors.