Every two years, the Design Council of Saskatchewan presents the Premier’s Design Awards, which recognizes
great design work done in the province. In 2013, P3Architecture Partnership dominated the proceedings, taking home three awards.
The Regina firm was awarded the Premier’s Award of Excellence for Interior Design for the Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame, located at the I-Plex in Swift Current. The I-Plex, another P3A project and home of the WHL Broncos, was renovated to include a dramatic museum space showcasing the history and development of hockey in Saskatchewan. The hockey theme is reflected in the design from the unique hockey-stick chandelier to the ice-like floor finish and use of dasher boards throughout. Says Sarah Turnbull, the project’s lead interior designer, “The inspiration for the space was an image of kids playing hockey on a pond. What could be more prairie than that?”
Arcola Community School – located in the southeastern SK town – was recognized with both the Award of Merit for Architecture and the Student Choice Award. (The project was also selected for the People’s Choice Award at the CEFPI Pacific Northwest Conference this past June.) The building is an example of a school designed to support 21st-
century learning environments while reflecting the unique needs of the local community. It is designed to LEED Silver standards and is a benchmark for educational design in Saskatchewan. Says project architect Vanessa Keilback, “The importance of place to the community was very apparent during the extensive consultation process, which resulted in a design unique to needs of the students and parents.”
At Arcola, spaces have been designed to be flexible – so that the way education is delivered can be adapted to suit future trends, extending the useful life of the school, and its effectiveness as a teaching tool. The overall theme of the school uses the geography of Saskatchewan to organize spaces and assist with wayfinding; and allows the school to be used as a 3-D textbook, to support the delivery of the curriculum.
Rob Beug, architect and partner at P3Architecture Partnership, notes that both of the award-winners were delivered on budget, which is “the positive result of close collaboration with our clients.”