Buildings
The Laureate Academy
| Formerly: | Villa Maria Retreat House |
|---|---|
| Address: | 100 Villa Maria Place |
| Use: | School |
| Original Use: | Ecumenical retreat centre |
| Constructed: | 1960 |
| Architects: | Waisman Ross and Associates (now Number Ten Architectural Group) |
More Information
100 Villa Maria Place opened in 1960 as an ecumenical retreat centre constructed for the Oblate Order of Catholic Priests. It is now houses the Laureate Academy, an institution which began in 1987 based on the Edmonton Academy's program for teaching children with disabilities. Waisman and Ross's design for the facility features a relaxed modern approach which exudes a certain calmness and proximity to nature, with vernacular touches conveyed through pitched roofs, brick cladding and wood details.
Design Characteristics
| Suburb: | St. Norbert |
|---|
- Spread-out one storey footprint
- Pitched roofs
- Brick cladding
- This is a spectacular 10.5 acre site on a bend in the Red River, built by the Catholic Church as a retreat house and temporary residence
- It was a series of interconnected suites, rather like a motel, presumably now all joined
- The campus has a low centre wing with a generous roof overhang and a larger node in the middle; there may be other buildings on the site