École Père Lacombe

Built in the 1960’s, École Père Lacombe School was showing its age when Manasc Isaac began this project. The exterior needed an overall upgrade and the interior finishes and systems were in need of modernization. One of our principal design challenges was to solve the problem of a hard-to-find main entrance. We functionally improved the entrance and created a clear point of entry, making a statement about the youthful and energetic nature of this Francophone school. The new entrance also gave us the opportunity to shield a penthouse mechanical unit.

At ground level, a new reception desk in the lobby addresses the desire of administrators and families to control access to the school while maintaining a welcoming environment. The underutilized stage at the north end of the Gymnasium was removed and converted into a Library with a quiet area for reading on the mezzanine level. This allowed two classes, previously used as the library, to be reclaimed.