Beach Drive Project Update March 2020

The construction of the frame of the new Main Building is currently on schedule with the building frame and roofing well underway. It is anticipated that the upper roof will be completed ahead of schedule on Monday, March 16. Completion of the Main Building outdoor framing is anticipated for around the end of March, and completion of the lower roof by mid-April. Over Spring Break, work will begin on the restoration of Rattenbury House, starting with the demolition of the 1937 addition which formerly housed the music room. This addition was added by the school and its removal is a step towards restoring the building to its original form, while also preparing Rattenbury House to be connected to the new Main Building currently under construction (see attached image). The school values the notable heritage of its Beach Campus buildings. When the school decided to pursue the revitalization of the campus for the next century, it was of critical importance that all buildings and features of heritage significance be conserved and reinforced wherever possible. To this end, the removal of the Rattenbury House addition will be completed in accordance with the school’s heritage alteration permit and the recommendations laid out in the conservation plan prepared for GNS by heritage consultant Donald Luxton & Associates. Our target occupancy date for the Main Building continues to be Spring 2021, but we are hopeful that it might take place earlier.