Open Collections

Abstract

This thesis explores the interface between a secondary school and community centre in Vancouver’s West End through the model of place-based learning, which emphasizes connection between students, their environment, and the surrounding community. Recognizing that learning is both context-dependent and inherently social, the school is reimagined as an essential piece of urban infrastructure within its neighbourhood. The new public school is positioned as a truly public facility, eschewing the school’s traditional hermetic boundaries in favour of a porosity aimed at cultivating human connection.