Robert Bateman Public School

Ottawa, Ontario

Ottawa-Carleton District School Board

The school, located in a residential neighbourhood, consists of five kindergarten rooms, a child care centre, eighteen regular classrooms, and specialty areas that were designed for the dual stream program of English and French immersion. In addition, there are withdrawal rooms, special education rooms, and communication rooms.

The school was the first commissioned by the OCDSB to be designed as an environmentally friendly building. Construction materials and finishes are free of C.F.C.’s (Chlorofluorocarbons). Solar panels were installed as a source of energy to heat domestic water. An arboretum, with fifty native species of trees and shrubs, is used as an outdoor teaching area.

The school was developed with community use in mind, as it houses several community programs. The architectural treatment of the elevation, including the selection of brick colours, was inspired by the proportions and colours of Ottawa's early public schools.