Thorncliffe Park Public School was opened in 2003 and was designed by Teeple Architects. It is one of the largest elementary school in North America. This major expansion to an existing Toronto public school in a dense urban neighbourhood accommodates close to 2,000 students. A significant challenge of the design was to create an educational environment that was finely scaled, welcoming, and in no way intimidating to its young users.

The primary motivation of the design was the creation of an enriched learning environment, filled with light, texture and colour. As children move through the school, they encounter an unfolding experience of views to long exterior gardens and brightly coloured shafts of light that penetrate through the floor plates of the school.

Fraser Mustard Early Learning Academy, located in Thorncliffe Park, opened its doors September 3rd, 2013 in the same building as Thorncliffe Park Elementary School and was designed by Kohn Shnier Architects. It's a two-storey building on the site, built to accommodate the JK and SK students as well as a child care facility. The building is located close to the north lot line and extends southward for minimal intrusion on the schoolyard. All classrooms at grade have doors which can be directly reached from the schoolyard at all times of the year without entering the school proper. Classrooms on the second level are accessed by wide gentle stairs. Vertical circulation is also achieved through a ramp system.

A central atrium is part of the natural ventilation system and shading elements are used for passive cooling. The Kindergarten will be a LEED Silver building and will also meet the standards of the TDSB Go Green: Climate Change Action Plan, the Toronto Green Development Standard and the City of Toronto Green Roof By-Law.

• Architect - Kohn Shnier Architects  <-- More buildings by this architect.
• Architect - Teeple Architects Inc.  <-- More buildings by this architect.