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Interior daytime view of King David High School showing students within the central multi-purpose sanctuary, with wood floors and exposed glue-laminated timber (glulam) beams and columns

King David High School

Location: Vancouver, B.C.
Architect: Acton Ostry Architects
Completion: 2005
Photo credit: Martin Tessler

Size
9,500 square metres

Owner
King David High School

Structural Engineer
Glotman Simpson Consulting

Structural systems
Low rise
Post + beam
Prefabricated

Project materials
Decking
Glue-laminated timber (Glulam)
Millwork
Panelling
Siding

Wood humanizes high school

King David High School offers an immersive educational experience that conveys conviction, responsibility and pride in its pupils. Wood’s inclusion injects warmth into the space, humanizing the building while appealing to people’s senses, psyche and imagination.

Wood features prominently

Construction materials used for the project include glulam beams and columns, western red cedar siding, poured-in-place concrete, coloured concrete block, and Jerusalem stone. The use of structural components as finishing materials, combined with large expanses of wood paneling, meant a reduction in the use of gypsum board for finishing.

The placement of wood is throughout the building, in the wood-paneled cabinets of the music room, in the built-in benches of the lounge, as well as in the central sanctuary meeting room, where exposed wood glulam beams and columns and floor are lit by natural daylight. Outside, the overhangs and siding are made of western red cedar, giving the building a uniquely British Columbian look and feel.

Learn about the benefits of using wood in schools

Interior daytime upward view of King David High School multi-purpose sanctuary, with wood floors and exposed glue-laminated timber (glulam) beams and columns
Photo credit: BaseTwo Media Inc.

Case study: Wood in education

This case study reviews educational facilities across British Columbia, looking at their design, function and use of wood.

Read the case study
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