As part of the reorganization & consolidation of the Halton District School Board’s (HDSB) high schools in Burlington, Lester B Pearson HS was being closed and its programs transitioned to the existing M.M. Robinson HS. This project presented a multi-faceted challenge: provide the required program spaces, including an expanded and enhanced CPP program for students with developmental and/or mild intellectual challenges, a commercial-quality culinary school, new classrooms, and expanded cafeteria, while acknowledging and respecting the identity of the migrating school to make the students feel welcome – all within an occupied facility.

A striking three-storey classroom addition was proposed facing the street, transforming the public face of the school. The building’s exterior, which had become dated and worn with time, was renovated with new metallic-silver cladding, the entrance foyer was enhanced with lounge seating and graphics and the existing theatre was rebranded as the Lester B Pearson Theatre to acknowledge the heritage of the migrating school. Part of the existing cafeteria was converted into a new culinary school while the remaining cafeteria space was expanded with a new addition flooded with much-needed natural light.