5025 WILLOW STREET BC V5Z 3S1

Seismic Program

It is a top priority of the Vancouver School District to ensure all students attend seismically safe schools as quickly as possible. This webpage provides up-to-date information on the Eric Hamber Seismic project.

Project Summary

In June 2018, the provincial government announced funding for the replacement of Eric Hamber Secondary School. This will be the largest seismic project in Vancouver’s history.

The new 4-storey, seismically safe school will have capacity for up to 1,700 students and will meet today’s standards for modern learning.

Read our factsheet on the project.

Project Values

We are committed to preserving the integrity of Hamber Secondary while ensuring a safe future through the following project values.

Timeline

To see a detailed timeline of the seismic process, please click here.
* For the Hamber project, the Vancouver Project Office has contracted Bird Construction for both the design and construction of the replacement school.

Information

For status of the project and estimated completion, please click here.

In April 2020, the Vancouver School District and Bird Construction entered into a project contract of approximately $92 million for the design and construction of the Hamber replacement school. This includes the funds that were approved for the Neighbourhood Learning Centre space that is designated for a new auditorium and the 69 space Childcare Centre on the roof-top level (funded by the City of Vancouver).

As we move ahead with design and construction of the project, the District will continue to work closely with the Hamber School Advisory Group, who are made up of representatives from teachers, parents, students and District staff.

Project Background

In June 2018, the provincial government announced funding for the replacement of Eric Hamber Secondary School. The Ministry of Education allocated $79.3 million to fully replace Hamber Secondary.

In May 2019, the Vancouver Project Office Steering Committee (comprised of senior staff from the Ministry of Education and the District) asked the provincial government for additional funding due to the unforeseen rise of construction prices. The project would not have sufficient funding otherwise to build a replacement school as originally approved. Over the summer, the School Advisory Group (SAG) was informed that the Ministry of Education approved to cover the escalation costs so the District can move ahead with building a new seismically safe school.

In September 2019, the Province of B.C. informed the District that additional funding had been secured for a Neighbourhood Learning Centre (NLC), which will be dedicated to an auditorium. As a result, the project scope includes a new auditorium with a maximum capacity of 350 seats.

In Summer 2019, the project team shortlisted proponents to design and build the new replacement school. The project team completed the Request For Proposals (RFP) process in Spring 2020.

Bird Construction was selected as the successful proponent to design and build the Hamber replacement school; and in April 2020 the Vancouver School District signed the project contract with them.

The existing school is to remain operational during the construction of the new facility. After construction is complete, the existing school will serve as a swing site for other school seismic upgrade projects. Once the existing school is no longer required, the intention is to demolish the existing school and build a playing field.

What We’ve Heard

We are committed to working with the school community to design a replacement school that meets the needs of the students while minimizing construction impacts. Your feedback matters!

We have formed a School Advisory Group (SAG) with representatives from parents, students and teachers who provide input as the project progresses. The group has already participated in site tours, visioning sessions and multiple focus group sessions to help gain a better understanding of the needs and requirements of the school community. The SAG will continue to meet on a regular basis. Additionally, a Public Information Session  was held on January 11, 2019. View display boards from this information session. Feedback was received online from January 11, 2019 to January 25, 2019. Read the summary report.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

We understand there are questions about the Hamber replacement school. We've heard from the school community and as a result developed a compressive list of FAQs, covering funding, to future school capacity and the size of the school. Visit our FAQs to see the full list of questions and answers.

Contact Information

Parents and staff may direct questions to the Principal, who is a member of the seismic project team. The principal’s contact information can be found on the Hamber Secondary website.