Designed with long-term performance and sustainability in mind, École Mino Pimatisiwin School brings together a K–8 school and integrated daycare within one high-performance facility for Seven Oaks School Division, located in Winnipeg, MB.

The new two-storey, 92,000 sq. ft. school accommodates 840 students and 72 staff, along with daycare space for 104 children and 16 staff. The building includes general and specialty classrooms, laboratory and manufacturing spaces, administration and childcare areas, a gymnasium and fitness spaces.

SMS Engineering provided mechanical and electrical engineering services, with systems designed to respond to Winnipeg’s demanding climate while supporting the project’s sustainability goals.

A ground-source geothermal system provides heating and cooling, working alongside high-efficiency energy recovery, chilled beams and hydronic in-floor heating. Occupancy-based lighting controls and advanced energy metering further contribute to building performance.

Water conservation was another important part of the design. SMS designed a rainwater harvesting system that collects and stores rainwater for reuse within the building. When standard calculation approaches did not provide the confidence needed to accurately estimate available rainwater, SMS developed an in-house methodology to determine the harvestable volume. That work informed the system design and supports a strategy targeting at least a 45% reduction in indoor water use.