Full Seismic Upgrade – Grenfell Elementary School
Public Architecture + Design Inc.
Case Study
- Project Name: Grenfell Elementary School – Seismic
- Location: Vancouver, BC
- Architect: Public Architecture + Design
- Timeline: 2024 – 2026 (Est.)
- Owner: Vancouver School Board
- Type: Full Seismic Upgrade / Heritage
- Total Cost: $29.2M
- RForm Usage: RFI,CO, & PC Management
The Firm
Public Architecture + Design Inc. is a Vancouver-based practice founded in 2008 with a focus on projects that serve the public good with affordable housing, education, childcare, and civic infrastructure. Working primarily with public and non-profit clients, PUBLIC brings a collaborative, equity-driven approach to every project, with a strong commitment to sustainability and resilience.
The Project
Sir Wilfred Grenfell Elementary School, located in Vancouver’s Renfrew–Collingwood neighbourhood, required a comprehensive seismic upgrade to meet current safety standards and ensure students could return to a structurally sound building as quickly as possible.
The scope was significant: structural upgrades to foundations and walls; new ceilings, floors, lighting, mechanical piping, and electrical systems where impacted by seismic work; and accessibility improvements including a new ramp and elevator. While construction was underway, students were temporarily relocated to South Hill Elementary School, making schedule and coordination absolutely critical.
Upgrades-Improvements
- Structural – foundation and walls.
- Architectural – ceilings, floors, impacted by seismic work.
- Accessibility – adding a ramp and elevator to Blocks
- Mechanical – new piping.
- Electrical – electrical systems and new lighting
The Challenge
A fast-tracked seismic upgrade of a functioning school leaves no room for administrative friction. With multiple trades, tight timelines, and a $29M budget to manage, Public Architecture needed a construction administration process that was airtight, one where nothing fell through the cracks and every decision was documented in real time.
“Public Architecture finds RForm beneficial because it streamlines the construction administration phase by centralizing logs and automating industry-standard paperwork into a single, cloud-based source. It also provides real-time financial tracking and a permanent audit trail, which helps to mitigate risk and maintain project transparency.”
The RForm Solution
Public Architecture turned to RForm to manage the construction administration phase from a single, cloud-based platform. Rather than juggling disconnected spreadsheets, email chains, and paper logs, the team centralized all project documentation — change orders, submittals, site instructions, and financial tracking — in one place.
The results were immediate:
- No version confusion. One live log meant every stakeholder was always looking at the same information.
- Faster approvals. Automated, industry-standard paperwork eliminated manual formatting and reduced turnaround time.
- Full financial visibility. Real-time cost tracking kept the $29.2M budget transparent and accountable at every stage.
- A permanent audit trail. Every instruction, approval, and change was logged automatically — protecting the project and the firm.
Are you ready to manage your next project like this?
See how RForm can streamline your next project.