New Chomedey Elementary School

Located in southwestern Québec, Laval is the third largest city in the province and the largest suburb in Montreal with close to half a million population. Laval is the thirteenth among the seventeen administrative regions in the province of Québec, providing extensive services to its municipal constituents.

Laval’s educational network comprises eighty-six establishments of which fifty-nine are primary schools, fourteen secondary schools, and the remainder, vocational training, adult education, and business service centers. The Laval School Board, in collaboration with the City of Laval’s engineering, urban, and infrastructure divisions undertook the ambitious planning of a new and comprehensive elementary school in its Chomedey district.

Built to accommodate the growing number of students in the Laval area, and envisioned as the School of the Future, the project combined state-of-the art classrooms with the most advanced technology for the students. Also included are large windows and abundant natural light, large multi-purpose rooms, collaborative zones, and spacious common areas. A major multi-purpose area, surrounded by windows and extending two stories high, was acoustically designed to reduce the noise level. The 3^rd floor includes a spacious ultramodern library surrounded by glass folding partitions. 

Also included in the complex, were an interior, multifunctional gymnasium with retractable stage, as well as exterior sports and recreational facilities, accessible to the community. The nearby open-air and green spaces provide students with a clean environment and a healthy atmosphere, in which to circulate, work and play.

As general contractor, SAJO worked diligently with the architectural, engineering, and MEP consultants designated by the Laval School Board. Together they undertook the construction of the 84,000 square feet, structural steel three-floor building, and ensured full fire proofing of all floors as well as sustainability features such as the use of renewable energy. 

From a design perspective, the exterior façade consisted of five distinct materials, the procurement and installation of which, required substantial coordination among suppliers and subcontractors. In addition, all floors and exterior façades consisted of fifteen colors, with a high and fancy floor finish on the ground level and a high-quality finish overall.

The new Chomedey elementary school, with its innovative and futuristic design, has special appeal both within the Laval School Board and the overall infrastructure of the City of Laval.