Burnaby Childcare

With a surge of new families in a rapidly growing region, the Burnaby Childcare projects offer an affordable, replicable, and inspiring solution to an immediate need for quality childcare facilities.

Through collaborative partnerships with School District 41, the City of Burnaby was able to leverage existing school sites to eliminate land purchase costs and accelerate project completion. The design team analyzed seven school district sites, two of which were chosen for initial construction.

Each childcare facility follows a standard design easily adapted to unique contexts, combining the replicability of modular prefabrication with the specificity of on-site construction. Factory built modules offer quick installation and limited disruption while site specific drop-off zones, covered decks, and outdoor play areas thoughtfully tie the buildings into surrounding school grounds.

Outside, resourceful design does a lot with a little, providing natural play that supports development and encourages curiosity without breaking the budget.

Inside, spaces are tailored to the health, wellbeing, and imagination of their primary occupants, working within the constraints of modular construction to create simple, durable, and flexible facilities.

Design choices were driven by considerations of children’s reach and interaction, ensuring safe, accessible, and inclusive spaces that elevate growth, learning, and discovery. Meanwhile, open sightlines, secure zones, and adequate storage grant adult caretakers comfortable working conditions from which to provide effective supervision.

With two facilities completed to date, the Burnaby Childcare projects provide a replicable solution to a lack of affordable childcare space, merging efficient, cost-effective prefabrication with site specific adaptation to meet the future needs of our growing children and our growing communities.

Client: City of Burnaby
Location: Burnaby, BC
Team: Local Practice with Principle Architecture (Architecture), Gauthier & Associates (Landscape Architecture), Rocky Point Engineering (Mechanical Engineering), Jarvis Engineering (Electrical Engineering), Lang Structural Engineering (Structural Engineering), MJL Engineering (Civil Engineering)