Date/Time: November 6, 2026 | 10:15 – 11:15 am

Room: TAHOMA 2

Abstract: As cities grow denser, the traditional horizontal school model—sprawling buildings and/or campuses with expansive fields—has become increasingly difficult to sustain. In urban contexts where land is scarce and competing demands for housing, parks, and civic infrastructure are intensifying, education facilities must adapt. Urban education is therefore being driven towards a new typology: the tall school. Rather than simply stacking classrooms vertically, this proposal argues that tall schools can become dynamic learning ecosystems that inspire creativity, provide outdoor opportunities, and support hands-on learning in ways that move beyond standard institutional structures.

This presentation examines how vertical schools can transform constraints of limited urban land into opportunities for innovative learning environments. By integrating rooftop landscapes, outdoor terraces, maker spaces, and multi-level collaborative zones, tall schools can provide diverse settings that support exploration, experimentation, and interdisciplinary learning. Vertical circulation—through open stairways, learning atriums, and connected terraces—can become social and educational spaces rather than mere infrastructure.

Building vertically allows school sites to achieve a more efficient use of land, enabling critical social infrastructure to be delivered within compact footprints. By consolidating building mass upwards, vertical schools can preserve ground-level space for playfields, public open space, or other community amenities, while also supporting the goals of compact, walkable neighborhoods. This provides opportunities for new delivery models including mixed-use developments (integrating childcare, community centres, libraries, athletics, or other shared facilities), to create multi-functional community hubs.

Drawing on results from our recent workshop about urban school design with various School Districts from around the Greater Vancouver area and using both the recently completed 3-storey Ta’talu Elementary School in Surrey BC and 4-storey SĆIȺNEW̱ SṮEȽIṮḴEȽ Elementary School in Langford, BC as case studies, this session explores how vertical design can support educational models that emphasize curiosity, collaboration, and experiential learning. It will discuss the opportunities and challenges associated with circulation, safety, access to outdoor space, and community integration. Ultimately, the tall school should not be understood as a compromise imposed by density, but as a catalyst for reimagining the urban learning environment—one that connects students to the city, to nature, and to each other through thoughtfully designed vertical spaces. 

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the drivers behind vertical school design in dense urban environments, including land scarcity, competing civic infrastructure needs, and the shift away from traditional horizontal school models.
2. Identify design strategies that enable tall schools to support diverse and experiential learning environments, such as rooftop landscapes, outdoor terraces, maker spaces, and multi-level collaborative zones.
3. Evaluate how vertical circulation and spatial organization can contribute to social interaction, safety, and educational engagement within multi-storey school buildings.
4. Assess the opportunities for vertical schools to function as community hubs, including integration with public amenities, mixed-use development, and preservation of ground-level open space.