Saddle Lake Onchaminahos Elementary School

Drawing inspiration and guidance from the Indigenous practice to ‘live lightly upon the earth’, Onchaminahos Elementary School in Saddle Lake, Alberta, is a sustainably designed two-storey and 350 student learning facility within the community.

Blending tradition with modern, both students and staff benefit from the bright open spaces lit with ample natural lighting and exposed spruce beams throughout the building. Integrated technologies and sustainable innovation include mass timber construction, solar panels, and an energy efficient envelope design.

A concrete foundation comprised of concrete end bearing piles, grade beams and pile caps, and concrete slab at grade on the main floor sets the stage for 2-way, flat slab cast-in-place concrete at the second level. The lateral framing, concrete shearwalls, and steel rod braces are topped out by exposed SPF Glulam beams and columns supporting the SPF GLT panels.

On top of a gym, fully-equipped kitchen, interior slide, and social stairs – the school incorporates culturally significant spaces, which includes herb and vegetable gardens, outdoor tables for traditional activities, a water channel to catch and distribute rainwater, areas for play and sports, an elder’s room, fireplace to gather, and an outdoor classroom designed in the traditional circular formation.