Giant Steps School

Country Canada
City Montréal
Customer Giant Steps
Surface area 6,230 m²
Year 2023
Certification LEED v4 Silver (candidate)

Giant Steps School is a state-of-the-art facility specifically designed to support young people affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

The Giant Steps Centre is built on four pillars: education, adult services, community outreach, and research. It is located in the Technopôle Angus, a cutting-edge eco-district guided by innovative principles of sustainable development.

Listening was essential from the very first meetings with the team at Giant Steps School. The specialized center presents numerous architectural constraints, as it serves a population highly sensitive to their sensory environment. The organization of spaces, the treatment of light and sound, and the selection of materials were therefore given special attention, in close collaboration with autism professionals.

The architecture is expressed as a concave curve creation that opens into an inner shielded courtyard, ideal for a variety of outdoor activities. The curved façade is composed of panels which, in addition to offering solar and acoustic protection, direct views from the school towards the playground, reinforcing feelings of safety and privacy.

Giant Steps School is, above all, a living environment designed to meet specific needs. Collaboration between Provencher_Roy and the client was therefore central to the design process. In fact, this complex project had no precedent—it was a world first.