The LFAS Renovation Construction

Myles Kim- LFAS MiX

The Langley Fine Arts School building and the Chief Sepass Theatre have been going under a major construction. The primary objective of this construction is to waterproof the building’s wall.

This renovation will replace the original wall, built with a stucco system, a traditional insulating exterior, to a modern, up-to-date insulating surface, named the cladding system.

The construction is a consequence and a part of the Leaky Condo Crisis in BC. Poor construction techniques in the past allowed rain to penetrate the outer walls and windows, causing a significant leakage.

The LFAS dance studio suffered a leakage in 2015. Rainwater leaked through the windows leaving a puddle of water in the dance studio floor.

To prevent any further damage to the school, the Langley School District has decided to initiate the renovation project in September 2017.

The construction was initially projected to be complete by mid-2018, but the completion will be delayed until early January of 2019.

There are some concerns that have surfaced due to the construction. Some teachers and students are moderately disturbed by the presence of a construction site within their school. Especially, some students revealed their concerns regarding the distraction that was caused by construction. “… I feel that the time they worked on was inconvenient for us…” says Duncan Ryans, 16, a Drama major student. Art, Dance and Drama majors were particularly affected by the construction.

Many teachers experienced mild difficulty having a focus and a flow in their classroom when noise or distraction was present.

Although the construction left a distraction to both students and teachers alike, most teachers and students believe that the construction did not cause any detriment to their performance or class marks.

Many teachers say that the construction workers were very accommodating and flexible to performance schedules. The Langley Fine Arts and the construction company had a conflict-free resolution when necessary. For example, when the production of Peter Pan was ongoing in early 2018, the construction in the theatre was adjusted so that the rehearsals and the performances were performed with the absence of any noise or distraction.

The construction is projected to be completed by early 2019.