Taloyoak’s new high school to open in 2026, architect says

Students to get a say on name of future high school that will relieve pressure on 50-year-old Netsilik school

An aerial view shows of the construction site for the high school under construction in Taloyoak. It’s expected to be complete in 2026, the lead architect says. (Photo courtesy of Justin Leclair)

By Daron Letts

Taloyoak students aren’t just slated to get a brand new $86.8 million school, they are also going to be asked to play a part in naming it and designing its logo, says Justin Leclair, the Ottawa-based architect whose company designed the new school.

General contractor Pilitak Enterprises Ltd. began work on the 3,304-square-metre building in fall 2023.

It’s expected to be completed by August 2026 with enough room for approximately 440 students from grades 7 to 12 in the hamlet of 1,000 people, Matthew Illaszewicz, a spokesperson for the Department of Education, said in an email.

Parkin Architects, a company with offices in Ontario and B.C., led the design, but was influenced by community consultations. It is the firm’s fifth school build in the territory and the fifth school-build collaboration between Parkin Architects, Accutech Engineering Inc., and Pilitak Enterprises Ltd.

The main building’s superstructure — or steel girders that form its skeleton — and a separate mechanical and electrical plant building have been completed.

The local district education authority had been pushing the Nunavut government to build a new school for years, with concerns that there isn’t enough space for students and supplies. Parts of the almost 50-year-old Netsilik school, such as its carpeting, are health hazards. When the new high school opens, the old school will continue as an elementary school, which is what it was designed as.

That school closed for 49 school days last year following a 90-litre diesel spill.

“The (new) school will mainly be covered with resilient vinyl sheet flooring,” said Justin Leclair, senior associate at Parkin and design lead on the Taloyoak project. “The daycare and gymnasium will both be covered with resilient rubber sheet flooring.”

The gym features a stage for ceremonies and the arts. The design allows the stage to open onto the communal area adjacent to the gym, allowing audiences to be situated in either room.

The building’s interior embraces the qaggiq (large communal igloo) model, communal spaces and a built-in connection to the land, with large banks of windows to let in natural light facing north and east.

“In Inuktitut, ‘Taloyoak’ means ‘Large Blind,’ referring to stone caribou blind or screen used for hunting, so we incorporated the concept in the school,” said Leclair.

Outdoor classroom areas also feature prominently in the design.

An on-site daycare, with 26 spots for children, will serve the entire community. The gym and common area will also be open for public use after school hours.

In the new year, Parkin plans to invite students to come up with the name and logo for their school, said Leclair, as they have done with other schools in the territory.

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