Zenith School (Lab-école Shefford)

Shefford, Québec

École du Zénith, also known as Lab-école Shefford, is an exemplary elementary school that aims to improve the province's educational facilities. Built almost entirely in wood, it is the result of a meticulous collaboration between architects and engineers, resulting in a refined, ingenious structure with an exposed timber frame. The result of an architectural competition, the simple, repetitive structure results in a rich and complex structural design. Collaboration with researchers at Laval University led to the development of a unique structural system for the project.

The creative and strategic use of different wood species to maintain uniform beam dimensions and greater load-bearing capacity, stood out to the jury. In fact, the precision of the dimensions was comparable to steel beams. Scaling the design to a child's perspective to foster a sense of comfort while maximizing benefits for both students and teachers also caught the jurors’ attention. Meeting the client's needs so effectively led to the school becoming a highly popular choice within the community.

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