Meeting Alberta’s Growing Needs: Inside the Alberta P3 Schools Bundle #5

Building one school is a big lift. Delivering six at the same time, each with its own design, site conditions, and construction challenges, requires more than effort. It requires a delivery model designed for complexity.

That is the reality of the Alberta P3 School Bundle #5. Delivered through a Public-Private Partnership (P3) model, the program plays an important role in helping Alberta keep pace with rapid population growth in communities where new schools are urgently needed. Just as importantly, it reflects how EllisDon approaches large, multi-site projects, with structure, coordination, and systems that support predictable delivery at scale.

Our ability to stay aligned while adapting to real world conditions is not improvised. It is the result of experience, discipline, constant communication, and teamwork, which define how EllisDon delivers complex work.

Since construction began in spring 2025, teams across the Edmonton and Calgary regions have been advancing the work together. Foundations and structural framing are progressing at every site, supported by coordinated scheduling and strong collaboration between subtrades. As site conditions, designs, and school configurations vary, teams continue to adjust where needed to maintain momentum.

How We Make It Work

The six schools are being delivered as a single program, supported by one coordinated schedule across all sites. Crews are planned with a clear understanding of how their work fits into the bigger picture, while design development and construction move forward in parallel through close coordination between site teams, consultants, fabricators, and trade partners.

Decisions are made at the program level, allowing progress to remain balanced and predictable across the work as a whole. Managing the schools this way enables teams to share resources, align planning, and maintain consistency across sites, while still responding to local conditions. It keeps delivery efficient and cost effective, even with six active projects underway at once.

The Impact of This Project

Delivering a project of this size demands constant visibility, strong systems, and a commitment to doing the work the right way, even when the pace is demanding. Excellence shows up through consistency, over time and in the everyday moments across construction. This project is complex, and EllisDon is designed to manage that complexity, delivering multi-site work with control, confidence, and pride.

Updates

Glenridding Heights – Grade 7–12 School

As the only high school in the bundle, Glenridding Heights is nearly twice the size of the other schools and has required the most complex, highly coordinated scheduling. Within the building footprint, 12‑metre‑high masonry walls have been put in place around the gym and elevator cores, supported by extensive scaffolding that enables work to continue through winter conditions. The team also advanced deep underground drainage work earlier than planned - an achievement that will create significant efficiencies as construction continues to progress.

In November 2025, the project reached a major milestone with the beginning of structural steel installation. The steel components had been precisely fabricated in the shop to align with the required on‑site installation sequence. With the north and east gym masonry walls now complete, the team has the structure in place to begin related exterior work and prepare for upcoming cladding activities.

Additionally, the team remains on track with Level 2 concrete pours continuing through February and March 2026. Once complete, they will move into slab‑on‑grade pours, keeping the project aligned with upcoming structural and interior milestones.

Blackfalds – Grade K-5 School

Blackfalds is the smallest school in the bundle but has had some of the greatest impact on the project to date. As the first project to reach detailed design, it served as the testing ground for clash detection, coordination, and constructability reviews, with lessons learned helping to improve the other five sites.

Structural steel installation began in October 2025. Leading up to this work, crews completed detailed preparation, including finalizing anchor bolts, elevations, and shop‑drawing coordination to ensure a smooth start. As the structure continues to take shape, the school’s design comes into focus, including two interior openings with sliding glass walls.

Steel stud framing and exterior drywall installation have been completed in several areas, supporting preparations for the upcoming slab-on-grade pour in February 2026.

Located outside Edmonton’s major centres, the project team is strengthening community ties through collaboration with local trades, supporting steady progress on the project.

Airdrie – Grade K-8 School

With foundations, piles, and deep services substantially complete, the Airdrie team continues to make steady progress, with masonry work keeping activity consistent as winter sets in.

Structural steel installation began in December 2025 and as it advances, the building’s form is taking shape, allowing crews to coordinate work and plan upcoming sequencing with greater accuracy.

Thanks to disciplined scheduling and planning, the team remains on pace with the bundle and well‑positioned for a strong start to spring construction, with progress expected to continue into decking, exterior framing, and interior build‑out.

Chestermere – Grade K-9 School

The Chestermere team has moved efficiently through foundational work, with backfilling and dampproofing now complete. The first slab‑on‑grade was poured in October 2025, and masonry work continues to progress quickly, with the gym now complete. Mechanical and electrical teams are advancing rough‑ins throughout interior partition areas, supporting coordination across all trades and maintaining overall schedule momentum.

Structural steel installation began in November 2025, marking the shift from groundwork to active vertical construction. Substantial progress has followed, with structural steel now largely complete and roof deck installation finished across most areas, with the remaining section scheduled for completion following upcoming OWSJ installation.

Nolan Hill – Grade K-9 School

At Nolan Hill, the first slab‑on‑grade pour took place in November 2025. Prior to that, site grading, foundation work, and the installation of sanitary, storm, and potable water tie‑ins to the City network were all successfully completed. Masonry work continues to progress steadily across multiple areas of the building, and both the north gym wall and the common wall between the gym and multipurpose room have been completed.

The team continues to work closely with consultants and design partners to ensure all requirements are aligned and executed efficiently. As with most design‑build projects, the pace remains highly dynamic, with design development progressing in parallel with construction, making coordination and timing critical. 

To support productivity, the work has been organized into targeted work zones, allowing the team to stay aligned. Since the start of the structural steel installation in November 2025, the team is closely monitoring all structural elements to ensure dimensional accuracy and construction excellence. This hybrid structural system reflects a strong collaborative engineering effort and will continue to take shape throughout the early months of 2026.

Okotoks – Grade K-9 School

At Okotoks, key steel framing components are now standing tall following the first slab‑on‑grade pour in November 2025, with heated slab systems ensuring proper curing and durability through winter conditions. Masonry activities continue to advance as well, including ongoing elevator shaft masonry that will support future vertical circulation and interior build‑out.

With these structural elements progressing steadily, the project remains well‑positioned to move into decking, exterior framing, and interior build‑out activities in the months ahead. The building’s design is intentionally forward‑looking, featuring long structural spans that support adaptable learning spaces, integrated pathways for future expansion, and enhanced acoustic performance to accommodate a wide range of educational activities.