Current Projects at MAC

Ongoing Contracts:

HCMA | Architecture Firm in Vancouver and Victoria, BC, Canada

MAC has contracted with HCMA to undertake a pre- and post-occupancy evaluation of Kelly Road Secondary School in Prince George, BC within School District 57. Two technical reports will be produced between 2020 and 2022 as a new school is constructed and occupied (and the existing school demolished). The first report concern the results of a pre-occupancy evaluation of the former school; the second report describes data from a post-occupancy evaluation of the new setting. Comparisons between that data are also part of the post-occupancy evaluation and final technical report. Although the sample involved in this project consists of teachers, staff, and school administrators, a broader population, including students and community members, may be invited to take part in follow-up research to better understand results from a community perspective.

The pre-occupancy evaluation was completed in September, 2020 and the post-occupancy evaluation of the new school has recently been completed in September, 2022. These technical reports can be referenced as:

McCunn, L. J. (2020). A Pre-occupancy Evaluation of Kelly Road Secondary School. Research report prepared for Hughes Condon Marler Architects and School District 57.

and,

McCunn, L. J. (2022). A Pre- and Post-occupancy Evaluation, and Comparative Analysis, of Kelly Road Secondary School. Research report prepared for Hughes Condon Marler Architects and School District 57.

In addition, this research has been submitted to a scholarly journal for publication:

McCunn, L. J., Holt, R., & Condon, D. (Submitted). A Pre- and Post-occupancy Evaluation, and Comparative Analysis, of Teachers’ Impressions of a Modern Secondary School in Northern British Columbia.

HCMA has also contracted with MAC to develop a social inclusivity guide for HCMA to use now, and to build upon over time. This partnership affords an opportunity for MAC to help HCMA examine and utilize the body of environmental psychology literature to capitalize on particular results and recommendations as the firm continues to design with all people in mind.

Another project that MAC is working on with HCMA is a post-occupancy evaluation of Royal Bay Secondary School’s inclusive washroom design. Our abstract for a ‘work-in-progress’ paper has been accepted for presentation at the UIA 2023 World Congress in Copenhagen in June, 2023. Interviews with Royal Bay teachers and administrators about the design, location, students’ sense of safety and social inclusion concerning the washrooms have been conducted and content analysis will be completed in the spring. A technical report is also being prepared to coincide with the UIA meeting:

McCunn, L. J. (Accepted). Understanding School Administrators’ and Teachers’ Perceptions of Gender Inclusive Washroom Design: A Canadian Case Study. UIA World Congress of Architects, Copenhagen, Denmark.