With increasing demand for services for children with special needs, Pacekids is set to open a new facility in NE Calgary. The location will provide the organization with 16,000 square feet of additional space to serve children with disabilities.
To translate the organization’s vision for the centre into reality, the non-profit enlisted the help of six Architectural Technology students from SAIT Polytechnic. Completing the project as part of a work term, the student team collaborated with Pacekids to come up with renderings and 3-D models of what the facility will look like when it opens.
Sharon van de Burgt, a second-year AT student worked on the project.
“Pacekids wanted to give parents an idea of what the space is going to look like,” says van de Burgt. “They told us how the space is going to be renovated and have asked us to render as close to possible what the spaces will look like.”
Market research showed increasing demand for Pacekids services in the northeast quadrant of the city. When the facility opens, it will be the only service provider of its kind in NE Calgary – including Airdrie.
“Once we found a suitable location we started looking at ways to showcase the new facility to families,” says Alex Reed, Executive Director of Pacekids.
“It is often an overwhelming and difficult process when choosing a service provider to work with your special needs child. Working with the SAIT students has provided us with the opportunity to give parents substantial insight into what the new facility will offer their child.”
Pacekids will continue to serve clients out of its current south location. Reed says this is the right time for the organization to grow.
“In order to continue to offer our unique and specific services, we felt it was time to expand. We serve children from infancy through school age, so they are able to stay with us for a long period of time. Opening a new centre in the NE will allow us to serve even more families.”
