York House Receives First-Ever Vancouver Urban Design Award

We are delighted to announce that the York House Senior building has been selected to receive a first-ever Vancouver Urban Design Award, from the City of Vancouver.

The Vancouver Urban Design Awards recognize and celebrate great architecture and excellence in urban design. Awards are given to projects that demonstrate visionary thinking and design excellence, with careful consideration of public spaces and the buildings that interact with these spaces [City of Vancouver].

The design of the York House senior building has been making waves in the architecture and design world since the building opened in September 2013. From World Architecture News, Award Magazine, to Canadian Architect and more, the consensus is that the informal work areas and flexible teaching spaces bring together students and teachers, encouraging creativity and collaboration.

A major design challenge of the building project was connecting all the existing buildings together, from the Junior School, the “underground” area, and north and south wings, to converge at one entry point. Read more about the design here.

Mark Ostry of Acton Ostry Architects accepted the award last night at a ceremony at the Van Dusen Botanical Gardens. Congratulations to all members of the project team. We are so very proud that the City has selected our school for this prestigious honour. Read more about all the award recipients here.

Michael Louie, past Chair, YHS Facilities Committee; Nathaniel Straathof, architect; Suren Sanmugasunderam, YHS Board Chair; Mark Ostry, architect; Chantal Gionet, Head of School; Susan Ockwell, architect; Russell Acton, architect, at the awards ceremony on September 15, 2014.
Michael Louie, past Chair, YHS Facilities Committee; Nathaniel Straathof, architect; Suren Sanmugasunderam, YHS Board Chair; Mark Ostry, architect; Chantal Gionet, Head of School; Susan Ockwell, architect; Russell Acton, architect, at the awards ceremony on September 15, 2014.

Community Carnival: Sr. Building Grand Opening

This past Friday, York House held its official ribbon cutting ceremony and open house to celebrate the grand opening of the beautiful new senior school building. Going along with the carnival theme, there were balloon animals, face painters, clowns, circus performers, a dance troupe and living statues for everyone to enjoy. Live music could be heard throughout the halls;  jazz band Parallel Frequency played in the new foyer, and students Rosy, Gr. 9, and Kathleen, Gr. 10, performed original songs on the field. Parents and members of the YHS community were able to tour about the building during the festivities. The cafeteria was overflowing with amazing food. The barbeque was undeterred by the rain, and for dessert, everyone enjoyed the colourful cupcakes. Special thanks to the many helping hands, including parent volunteers and 120 student volunteers. The turnout from parents, students, teachers and friends truly made this a special occasion. Congrats YHS, here’s to many more wonderful years to come! See more photos from the Grand Opening here.

Sarah
Grade 10