Prairie Winds School and Shift Recreation Centre
Structural design for a $70M combined school and recreation centre serving the Coaldale community.
Client: Palliser School Division / FWBA Architects
Location: Coaldale, AB
Project Type: Buildings
About This Project
The Prairie Winds Secondary School and Shift Community Recreation Centre is a $70 million educational and recreational complex designed to expand learning opportunities and community amenities in Coaldale, Alberta. Developed through a partnership between the Town of Coaldale and Palliser School Division, the project brings together a modern secondary school and an adjoining recreation centre, creating a shared destination for education, sports, and community activities.
Replacing Coaldale’s former high school, the new 75,000-square-foot Prairie Winds Secondary School accommodates up to 855 students in Grades 7 to 12. The facility includes a woodshop, theatre, independent study spaces, and an e-sports room. The adjoining 55,000-square-foot Shift Community Recreation Centre provides additional amenities, including sports courts, an indoor field, squash court, community track, and indoor play structure.
ISL provided site development, structural engineering, and construction administration services as a subconsultant to FWBA Architects. The project required careful consideration of challenging geotechnical conditions, including soils susceptible to frost heave and inadequate bearing capacity. To address these constraints, ISL designed a belled pile foundation system with grade beams, providing structural stability, improved load distribution, and frost protection while supporting construction efficiency.
The structural design also incorporated a hybrid steel and wood system to balance architectural expression, sustainability objectives, and project budget. Mass timber elements were strategically integrated into high-visibility areas, creating distinctive interior features while maintaining cost-effective construction.
ISL’s civil engineering and site development services included site grading, deep utility design, parking lot layout, site servicing, and stormwater management. The team also prepared a stormwater management report, site development plans, construction drawings, and specifications, and provided construction administration services to support project delivery.
The project brought together ISL teams from Lethbridge, Canmore, and Calgary, demonstrating collaborative delivery across multiple disciplines and offices. Both facilities opened in September 2024, on time for the new school year, and achieved LEED Silver certification.
Key Features
- $70M combined school and recreation complex
- 75,000 sq. ft. school accommodating 855 students
- 55,000 sq. ft. community recreation centre
- Site development, servicing and stormwater management
- Belled pile foundations and hybrid steel/timber design
- LEED Silver certified facilities
