Shelter Industries Custom Modular Housing

As part of a $30-million contract with the Province of BC’s Ministry of Education, Shelter Industries designed, built and installed 140 state-of-the-art, modular classrooms for BC’s new full-day kindergarten program, which started September 2011.

These new classrooms are far from the typical school portable of yesteryear, which only had a 15-year lifespan. In fact, you really can’t compare them.  “This is different,” said then BC Minister of Education Margaret MacDiarmid during a tour of the prototype January 2011 (who has since been replaced by George Abbott, who has also toured the plant). “You can just tell by the feel of it.” Designed to last up to 40 years, these structures, installed on permanent foundations, will provide the same feel and comfort as any site-built structure. Even those buildings that will be installed on temporary foundations will provide the warmth necessary to deal with a harsh winter in Northern BC and the comfort of air conditioning on a sweltering hot day in BC’s Okanagan.

Mary Polak, then Minister of Children and Family Development (now Minister for Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation) and current Langley MLA, also attended the tour of the prototype and agreed that these new buildings are the way of the future. She said, “You can’t even call these buildings a portable. They are so night and day different.”

“There is nothing like this anywhere else [in the province],” said MacDiarmid. Working closely with the Ministry and school district representatives, Shelter Industries employed creative thinking and the most advanced technologies to produce a superior structure that sets a new benchmark for modular school construction in British Columbia.

The classrooms are more spacious, with large functional windows, durable window roll shutters, security screens, high performance warm insulation (outside the framing), an energy-efficient HVAC system, wood exterior and interior finishing, and the infrastructure for full building services and computer technology. It also meets the latest seismic safety standards. MacDiarmid said it’s a great space for younger students. “It’s airy. It’s bright. I love the windows and the natural light … the primary colours on the [ceiling] and … the cabinetry.”

“This is a great way to have gone,” said MacDiarmid. With enrolment growing in some areas and declining in others, modular classrooms provide the flexibility to be moved or clustered should enrolment forecasts change.

Minister Polak agreed, adding that modular buildings provide a ton of savings in time and labour.  Buildings are constructed indoors, eliminating weather delays. Plus building construction can move ahead without waiting for foundations to be laid. This translates into a costs savings, which means more money can be put into the classroom.

MacDiarmid concluded, “Things have gone well. I can’t wait to see these classroom spaces filled with students.” In total, 25 school districts with about 100 sites across the province received the 140 modular classrooms.

“I am quite confident that [parents and educators] are going to be quite pleased to receive [these modular classrooms],” added Minister Polak. From the words of kindergarten students and their parents who also attended the tour, these new modular classrooms are destined to be a winner. “It looks like a real classroom,” said parent Tracey Munday.  Parent Sheri Williams agreed, “They look pretty amazing.”

See Shelter on Global TV

Read about Shelter in the Vancouver Sun

Parents Give Shelter Classrooms the Thumbs Up (Vancouver Sun)

Read about Shelter in the Province

Read about Shelter in the National Post