The renderings simply suggest the intent of the development from a master planning perspective.  These images distinguish the different land uses and residential types in terms of proposed massing, heights and footprint.  Actual architectural design of the buildings and exterior landscapes will begin in the summer of 2012 and as developement partners join the project. 

From the initial stages of engagement in 2010, we have worked with the community to prepare a Master Plan that reflects the character of the existing neighbourhood. The proposed residential zoning is of low profile and low to medium density, which provides a sensitive response to the surrounding R-C2, M-CG, and M-C1 zoning that exists within the area.  

Ensuring access (visually, programmatically and physically) to the historic building has been a driving focus for our team - we have used the roof eaves line of the heritage school as the limit for adjacent height and have used our system of open spaces and pedestrian connections to maximize site lines to the heritage building. Recognizing that the school sits directly in the middle of the site, we have worked with the community over the last year to explore various scenarios of where residential density could be located.  Our location of the Municipal Reserve at the south side was supported by the Parks and Heritage Departments at the City as the best way to preserve and celebrate the ceremonial front entrance and facade.

Views to the north facade have been kept open by locating the parking requirements of the building there. Low density, RC-2 units were located on the south and west sides, affording strong visual connections to the heritage building. Although the eastern facade of the building has been substantially covered up since the 1950s by unsympathetic additions, we have proposed a stepped design to the multi-res building from 4 - 2 storeys and added a public connection at the corner of 29th Ave and 16th Street to reinforce the relationship to the South Calgary Park. Ultimately, the location of the medium density housing is necessitated primarily by two drivers: 

• the slope of the site (approximately a full storey from west to east) is at it's lowest point on the east side, therefore is the optimal location to site medium density housing in relation to maximizing site lines to the heritage school as much as possible.
• the sensitivity of the concrete foundation for the heritage school to adjacent underground parking necessitates locating the medium density housing either on the west portion or the east portion of the site - based on the adjacent MC-1 and MC-G zoning along 30th/16th and the desire to maintain site lines to the historic roofline, the east side was supported by the community in the October 2011 public meeting.

While a school yard is not a public park in the traditional sense (being fenced off, controlled through school operations, etc.), we have always been sensitive to the perception of the school yard as open space, particularly due to its vacant status for the last 10 years.  As part of our engagement process, we have benefitted from the South Calgary Community Association's active involvement from the beginning as well as the expertise of Ann Charlton, head of the Parks Department at the City on our internal project committees.  

Being adjacent to the South Calgary Park, our team and the Parks Department recognized the potential of designing the Municipal Reserve land and rethinking its relationship to the existing active recreation site kitty-corner to the proposed redevelopment. Through our engagement with the community to date, the Municipal Reserve will be part of a system of public spaces woven through the site which can be publicly accessed from all sides of the block and are configured to frame the heritage building. We are also undertaking a historic designation process to ensure the heritage building is kept in perpetuity as a community asset.  

Combining a restored 100 year old school - filled to the brim with creative organizations and artists and providing unique opportunities for community participation and activated by social spaces such as a main floor small cafe and gallery - with a distinctive system of open spaces provides the City, the community and our organization with an immense opportunity to rethink 'public space' beyond the typical approach. We are committed to working with the Parks Department to co-design the space in relation to the South Calgary Park to deliver an amazing new public space for the community.

From the initial stages of engagement in 2010, we have worked with the community to prepare a Master Plan that reflects the ambition for King Edward Arts Hub and Incubator to be a model of sustainable development in Calgary. The proposed master plan draws upon many unique precedents that include shared space for multiple modes of transportation, mixed residential uses to promote a inclusive and diverse community, and an appropriate density that is complimented by an accessible public realm. 

As a social enterprise, we are developing the site with a strong emphasis on sustainability and will provide facilites that support alternative transportation choices and promote best practices wherever possible. We look forward to working with our consultant team during the upcoming design development of the Arts Incubator, and the development and civic partners who will support this innovative vision. 

A Request for Qualifications (RFQ) is a multistep process that will be used to find appropriate partners for the residential development on the site. This process will ensure that the project vision is understood between partners and that a cohesive project is realized. A design competition for the artisit housing on the site may be a possibility to encourage design excellence that matches the aspiration for the project. We are working deligently in these regards to seek opportunities to deliver a unique project as you suggest.