Project Description:
The St. Augustine School project, located at 7th & Arbutus in Vancouver, is a 30,000 square foot replacement for the previous school that was constructed as a temporary facility in 1956. The concrete frame structure with brick façade was selected to ensure that the new building will be around for many years and to provide a safe home to the school and parish community. The 100% donor funded project was divided into three phases. Phase One, completed in 2015, included the exterior shell of the full school building and an unfinished third floor with space for an additional 5 classrooms. Phase Two, which covered the completion of the third floor classrooms was completed in the summer of 2017. Phase Three, which includes a new gym with underground parking and completion of the playground and landscaping, will be built when adequate funds are raised.
The new school building was constructed on the playground of the old school which allowed the old school to remain in operation until the new school was ready which helped the school to avoid any costs associated with temporary facilities.
Westbourne Projects Ltd. was retained as the owner’s representative in December 2014 to assist the parish in completing Phases One and Two of the project.
Both phases were delivered using a stipulated sum contract as required for all projects that are overseen by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver. During construction of Phase One, the general contractor experienced disputes with two major trades which lead to delays. Westbourne Projects Ltd. worked closely with the contractor to mitigate the impact of these disputes and keep the project moving. As a result, the Phase One was completed slightly behind schedule but on budget. Phase Two was completed on time and on budget.
