On March 01, 2017, Kugaaruk school was destroyed by fire, a tragedy that was felt throughout the entire community and region. The school was the only available educational facility in Kugaaruk.
Over the course of an 8 week period , the Design Build Team (DBT) (Kudlik Construction Ltd., Parkin Architects Limited and Accutech Engineering) developed the base design for the brand new, state-of-the-art K-12 school for the community. This aggressive schedule allowed the team to begin work immediately on the site and foundations for the building in late summer of 2017.
Following the fire, the site was free of remaining debris. The school’s old stone entrance was the only structure that remained. It was implemented in the new design.
There are typical logistic challenges in the Arctic. The delivery of construction materials for the first construction season included all of the building’s superstructure, including steel and foundation materials.
With the dedicated efforts of the DBT, the original schedule was achieved, the school was ready for occupancy at the end of August 2019.
For a glimpse of the construction process, please click on: https://vimeo.com/354963578